


Weird Science

by Beni_O2 (Benihime_O2)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Always female Seto, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 13:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 86,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11968782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benihime_O2/pseuds/Beni_O2
Summary: No longer enemies, but not exactly friends, Seto and Téa end up messing with technology that they don't completely understand and end up in a mess of their own making. Not that Téa's complaining.[First part of the series. A Yu-Gi-Oh! Weird Science AU inspired by the song, not the movie. Téa/Atem, with eventual Téa/Seto.]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A new school year, a new opportunity to make friends and enemies. [Set in the early/mid 2000s]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of a new school year is a good time to make friends and enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or as you know: teenagers.

_"Good morning,_ _Domino_ _! You're listening to 103.7, KISS FM!"_ The dj's cheerful voice was the only one that could be heard inside the car. In the backseat, the passenger shifted, straightening her posture ever so slightly. Her gaze was fixed upon the headrest in front of her, unwilling to look of the window to see the cityscape passing before her in the morning sun. Nor was she about to make eye contact with her driver, though out of the corner of her eye she could see him sending her cheery smiles through the rear view mirror.

  


She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of having her attention. From how he kept searching for her eyes, he didn't seem that discouraged.

It was only another 5 minutes to the city center, and only 15 more after that she would be dumped at her new high school. Seto felt a small lump in her throat, and tried to swallow it down discretely. She was doing her best not to fidget, despite her shirt collar feeling too tight around her throat. It was unseasonably warm, and unreasonably too; it wasn't fair the that whole world seemed to be ganging up on her.

  


It eventually got to be to much, and she regretfully brought a hand up to her throat, pulling at the fabric just enough to make her a little less uncomfortable She had a dull hope that the driver was busy actually paying attention to the road and not her for once.

No such luck.

"You know, it's okay to be nervous on your first day of classes. I know it's a _bit_ of a change, but I think this is a good thing. A good change!” She fought the urge to roll her eyes and kept glaring at the headrest.

“You're going to meet a lot of new kids, and I'm sure you're going to hit if off right away!" If he was distracted enough, she thought uncharitably, maybe he would swerve into oncoming traffic and end this misery for both of them. A small sacrifice she would have to pay to rid the Earth of his presence, but so-

"Also!" he chirped, "I was looking at some of the clubs your new school has to offer, and I think there are a few you'll really like!"

  


Her jaw tightened ever so slightly, and the effort to keep herself from digging her nails into her palms was wearing on her rapidly dissolving patience. He really had no sense of boundaries. "There's a science club, and public speaking club, and there's even a chess club! I know you'll love that!"

Like the idea of spending _more_ time surrounded by the half-witted unwashed masses would be appealing to her. To think that there was a club at her school dedicated to demeaning the noble game of chess made her want to scream.

"I just think that there are so many opportunities and experiences just waiting for you! I'm almost a little jealous, you know?" Oh, here it comes. The guilt trip, his old stand by for whenever she didn't want to go along with one of his half-witted schemes. "I never got a chance to go to a regular school like this. Tutors, you know."

Because a public education was such a step up?

"I just think that being around other kids your age, doing things with them, exploring new ideas, that is what high school's really about. You're going to do so much these next two years, it's going to be amazing to see what you'll accomplish!" Her only solace was that they were rapidly approaching their destination. As much as she loathed the idea of going to Domino High School, it had to be better than being trapped in a car with HIM for even another minute.

"Can you see it?"

No.

"Over on your right"

Not looking.

"We're almost there!"

He slowed down as he turned off into the school's main driveway, getting ready to join a small line of cars full of parents giving hasty goodbyes to their children before sending them off to another day of mind melting boredom. Hasty goodbyes given in front of the school and everyone loitering on the front lawns.

No.

That wasn't going to happen to her.

"Just stop here." Seto grabbed her bag with her left hand as her right one pulled on the handle for the door. "Wait, I haven't stopped yet-" "Just stop, I can get out here, it's fine." His cheerfully stupid demeanor wavered for a bit, clearly wanting to join the queue with the other parents and guardians, but aware that if he didn't stop she'd just jump out of the car anyways, and he didn't want THAT.

"Okay, just, one second." He pulled over to the curb, the front of the school still in view. A horn honked behind them, another driver less than pleased at the abrupt stop and more than willing to let her opinion known if the hand gestures cast their way were any inclination. Seto didn't care, of course. If she was going to be miserable on her first day at a public high school, there was no reason not to have more people to share in the misery.

"Do you have everything? Your books, your phone, your lunch?" She was already out of the car, door slammed behind her, but the front passenger window was rolled down and a concerned face peered out at her. If she bolted now, he'd just start talking louder, sharing his concerns with her and the rest of the student body. "Yes, of course, I showed you everything in my bag before I left. Can I just go now?"

"Of course." that sad smile again! "I know you have a busy day ahead of you. I just wanted to check." The slightest of nods is her acknowledgment, and she's half turned towards the school before his voice catches her again. "So, 3:30pm, right outside the school, right? I can have Roland be there early if you're not sure how long you're going to be. You can always send a message if you want the time to change. Remember, just-"

"ALRIGHT, GO." And with that, Seto turned and headed towards school, barely keeping herself from stomping towards the main doors. Watching her go off in a huff, her older brother's smiled wavered, and then righted itself as he leaned over to reach out the window to wave at her departing back.

 

"HAVE A GREAT DAY, SETO! SEE YOU TONIGHT!"

 

And with that public proclamation heard by no less than 100 members of the Domino High School student body, Noah Kaiba shifted back into drive, carefully merging back into traffic as he headed into the city again for another day at the office.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Yes, this would be the year that everything went according to plan.

 

Walking into homeroom, Téa felt better than she had all summer. She had hardly slept the night before, going over plans and schedules just one more time to make sure she got everything right. Sliding into her seat, Téa scanned the room.

 

It was good to get the feel of things before the last bell rang and class started in earnest. She could see two of her friends, Tristan and Joey, jostling each other as they joined a larger group of boys huddled around some magazine half hidden under a desk. It didn't take much imagination to guess what kind of magazine was eliciting all of those snickers and smirks.

 

She rolled her eyes, unable to be bothered enough to get upset about it like she used to. She went back to checking out the rest of the room, but there wasn't much else going on. Some students were talking with their friends, others already at their desks waiting for whatever kind of orientation their homeroom teacher would think that they'd need at this point.

 

Towards the back of the class, she could see two girls talking amongst themselves. When they saw her looking they stopped, and looking back at each other they started giggling behind their hands. Like with the boys, she tried not to let them bother her. No point of rehashing old hurts this early in the school year.

 

 

Done with surveying the class, she kept her eyes on the door. She was supposed to walk to school with Yugi that morning, but he had canceled at the last minute, having to help his grandpa unload some new stock for the store before school. She didn't think his grandpa would let him be late (and on the first day!), but as the minute hand crept closer to 8:30, he was cutting it awfully close.

 

Finally, she saw his signature hair and smile coming through the door. She waved at him, beckoning him over to her. Behind him, a flash of chestnut hair passed around him into the class. Distracted for a second, Téa took in the new face. She didn't recognize them from her classes the last year, and it wasn’t like they got that many new students every year. It didn't matter, though, because Yugi was already sitting down besides her, and the bell was already ringing. Startled a bit, she ducked down, pulling a notebook and pen out of her bag before the teacher walked in.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

After being chided by some of the more awake students for being late their first day (even if only by a minute), their homeroom teacher cheerfully moved on to the ever exciting task of taking roll call.

 

"Come on everyone, look alive!" A few groans came from the back of the class, but the teacher was undeterred. "Listen up! You know the drill. When I call your name, please say, _'I'm here!'_ I ask that you to say _'I'm here'_ for your name and only for your name. Let's see if we can get it right the first time, shall we?”

 

This time, sighs could be heard from many of her classmates, but Téa just smiled encouraging at her teacher. Mr Van Damme already been their homeroom teacher for a year and still never stopped trying to get everyone's spirits up made him one of her favorites. Who didn't like a ' _can-do_ ' attitude? Téa certainly did.

 

He rattled off the list of names, with the students answering back with varying levels of enthusiasm. After answering for her own name, she went back to casually scanning the classroom. Mr Van Damme was too busy to notice, and it wouldn't hurt to try and get another peak at the new student in the class. Who knew, maybe they were nervous about their first day and would need somebody to help them get around. It’s not like Téa didn’t know that being the new kid sucked, and that any bit of help would mean a lot.

 

As luck would have it, she would find her mystery classmate pretty quickly.

 

"Seto Kaiba?" The teacher chirped out, looking out at the students for the first time after reading off the unfamiliar name. "Is Se-."

 

"Present." A cold voice spoke out. The owner had their arms crossed in front of them, their posture way too rigid for a Monday morning

 

Téa peered a little closer. _'_ _Huh, so that’s who she is._ _'_

 

Mr Van Damme ran his fingers through his hair. "Gosh, sorry again everyone, I forgot to tell you that we have a new student in class!" If possible, the new girl's posture became even more rigid, her arms tightening as her eyes narrowed in warning. "Everyone, this is Seto Kaiba, she will be joining us this year. Say ' _hi_ ' everyone!"

 

A chorus of ' _hi's_ and ' _hellos_ ' came from around the classroom, most half-heated, and few (like Joey's) overly childish. Téa was struck by the waves of unfriendliness emitting off the girl. _'Jeez, they're just saying 'hi', it's not like she's giving a speech or anything.'_

 

"Seto!" The teacher went on, his cheerfulness withstanding the withering looks from his newest student. "Why don't you stand up and tell us what school you came from?”

 

Oh.

 

“It'll be nice for the class to get to know you better!" One of the boys whispered a comment in the back that made the boys around him start snickering. The new girl, now on the spot, gritted her teeth as she rose up out of her seat quickly.

 

_'Now here_ _'_ _s a surprise'_ thought Téa. This girl was a lot taller than she had first thought. She had been standing behind Yugi when Téa first saw her, and to be honest, everyone looked tall next to Yugi. She had to be almost 6 foot or something, and all (almost) 6 feet of her seemed to be full of unpleasantness.

 

"If I must." Cold eyes scanned quickly across the room, and seemingly unimpressed with what she saw, she began. "I transferred here from Princeton Academy." And with that she sat back down, having delivered yet another surprise. Princeton Academy? **THE** _Princeton Academy_? If she could afford to go to a school like that, what the heck was she doing at a run of the mill school like Domino High?

 

An uncharitable thought flickered into her mind.

 

_'What if she couldn't cut it there?'_ Prestigious academy or not, if little miss rich girl couldn't even handle the daily grind no wonder she had to switch schools. ' _And of course she was_ _rich_ _you don't get into a school like Princeton with just a scholarship, no-_ _'_

 

Yikes.

 

Téa shock her head a bit. That was a nasty train thought. It was a little too early in the morning to be thinking like that yet. Mr Van Damme had moved on with the roll call list when Téa felt something poking her arm. She looked down to see Yugi's pen still hovering in the air between them.

 

"Something on your mind?" He whispered quietly. She gave him a small smile and whispered back. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing." And it was nothing; she tried to focus back on their teacher's antics at the front of the class. In the end, she couldn't quite help herself, and cast one more glance at the new student.

 

A scowl met her inquiring gaze, and Téa, caught in the act, shifted her eyes back to the front.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

The rest of homeroom passed by rather uneventfully. Seto was beginning to feel the color that had crept up her neck receding, the embarrassment from getting called out in the middle of class ebbing away as the homeroom teacher passionately went on about the expectations for the year. It seemed like his enthusiasm, while laudable, had the opposite effect in energizing his students. From where she was sitting, she could see two boy near the front already starting to doze.

 

Time passed, and the bell to signal the end of homeroom rang. Immediately, the class rose like a single hive mind, and a mass of bodies moved about trying to either talk with their friends or move to the next classroom. Since Seto didn't have any friends to speak of, she clearly only had one thing to do.

 

She put away the notebook and pencil that she had out during the teacher's ramble. She had only jotted down a few cursory notes about school events and registration deadlines for college placement tests. It was always good to learn these dates to prevent any easily avoidable drama. Mokuba could never remember when his projects were due, and Seto and Noah had to constantly check his notebooks to glean any hints about due dates.

 

She leaned over to pick up her bag, and when she moved back up she felt a shadow over her. Looking up, she found a girl staring at her. Ignoring her, she put her pencil back into her pencil case and along with her notebook put it into her bag, zipping it up as she prepared to go. The other girl cleared her throat.

 

Seto look up again, slightly raising an eyebrow, but said nothing. If the girl had anything to say, she could hurry up with it. There were only a few minutes allotted to passing time.

 

Seeing that she had Seto's attention (barely), the girl cleared her throat again, her face brightening as she seemed to gain confidence. "Hi there. I couldn't help but notice that you're new. My name is Téa, and I'd like to help you get used to your new school." The girl stuck out her hand, waving it only a few inches from Seto's face. The smile on her face clearly implied that Seto should take it.

 

Seto spared it a glance before finishing closing her bag, standing up as she pulled a strap over her shoulder.

 

The hand went untouched.

 

"That won't be necessary. It'd be a waste of time." For her _and_ the girl, but there wasn't a point in explaining that. She still had a chemistry class to get to, and some weird girl wasn't going to make her late for her first real class of the year.

 

The smile on the girl's face faltered, hand falling a bit as the expression on her face soured. "I'm not sure why you think so, but there's nothing wrong with needing a little help. I was new once, so I understand. What class do you have next, I can help you."

 

Persistent much? Seto rose to her feet, easily towering over the other girl. There was not real need to start a fight this early in the morning, this early in the _school year_ , but Seto already had to deal with Noah this morning and she didn't need this kind of bother from anyone else.

 

"I don't need your help, I don't want it, I have someplace to be. Don't you?" She moved past the other girl, not bothering to check what kind of face she was making at the dismissal. Seto could hear some girls giggling in the back of the classroom, but she paid them no mind. If her memory was correct, she knew that her chemistry lab was on the second floor on the east side of the building. She made her way to the next class, the verbal altercation already fading from the forefront of her mind as she recalled what she had read from the first chapter of her chemistry book.

 

All in all, this wasn't the worst way to start her first day of classes.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Okay, this was officially the worst way she could have started her first day of classes.

 

Téa felt a little numb, one hand at her sides, the other still waiting to finish the handshake. She felt a bubble rising in her throat, choking her a little as she could feel her face turning red. The girls in the back were still snickering at her, and Téa wouldn't let herself look their way. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

 

A slight tap at her shoulder.

 

"Téa?"

 

Yugi's voice was hesitant, clearly wanting to give his friend from space but not willing to just leave her like that. He had witnessed the entire scene from his desk, awestruck by the display that had left his friend so stunned.

 

She ignored him, turning back to her desk. She hurriedly stuffed her notebook and pen into her bag, trying to control her motions instead of flinging everything on the floor like she wanted to.

 

_'What the hell was her problem?!'_

 

Like Téa had spit in her food or something! Where did she get off, pulling an attitude like that, when all Tea had wanted to do was to help. She only wanted to help. Huh, like she'd ever try to help that bitch again.

 

She turned back to Yugi. She took a deep breath; there was no point in taking out her bad mood on him. "Come on, Yugi. We have Literature next, let's get going."

 

Still looking concerned, he nodded, willing to let what happened slide as he hefted his bag over his shoulder. She smiled at him, her mood already brightening. _'Well, so much for making new friends.'_

 

 

"Alright, let's do this!"

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Aside from the early morning irritation, the rest of her classes went by in a blur. Most of the teachers were willing to waste a day of class explaining the contents of their syllabus to half dozing students, or chatting with the students like it was free time. Still, from time to time, Seto could feel inquiring gazes directed at her. It shouldn't have been a big deal, and it didn't seem like anyone recognized her 'family' name, but bringing up a name like Princeton Academy was sure to bring up questions that she couldn't be bothered to answer.

 

To be honest, she too wondered how she ended up in this dump.

 

_'I'm sorry, there isn't anything else we can do. The other parents have already.......'_

 

Seto's jaw tightened a fraction at the memory. Like everything else about that school, none of it was of any consequence anymore. Just two more years of forced formal education and she could be free to take her rightful place in the company.

 

Provided her ' _brother_ ' didn't weasel out of their agreement.

 

Yet another train of thought that did nothing to lighten her mood, and she pushed it to the side. The art teacher continued to drone on as she heard a muffled sound to the left of her. At first she ignored it, but the sound became louder and more distinct.

 

"Um, hey. Can you hear me?" Even if she did it wasn't like she cared to answer. Even so, she spared a glance to her left.

 

The apparent owner of the voice was some boy, a head full of wild hair barely even coming to her shoulders while seated. At her slight acknowledgment, his face broke out into a smile. Oh god, he wanted to talk.

 

"Hi, I'm Yugi." He whispered, and held out his hand to her. Seto raised and eyebrow and kept her arms crossed in front of her, neither offering a name nor her hand. It wasn't like this was a business meeting, why did people have to make things weird like that.

 

A slight flush came to his face as he held his hand out for a few more seconds, embarrassment eking across his features as he hastily pulled his hand back. "Sorry, we're in class." Did he forget? "Just wanted to see how you were doing. New school, right?"

 

Her brow furrowed for a moment before remembering earlier that morning. She distinctly recalled a mop of multicolored hair seated near that weird girl that kept staring at her. He must have heard her involuntary introduction speech back then. And to act so familiar with her too...

 

Seto turned her head face to the front, hoping to boy would take the hint that she didn't feel much like talking. Besides, it was during class. As much as she didn't care about whatever nonsense their teacher was spouting (she was pleading with them to PLEASE wash the paintbrushes after using them, PLEASE), it was still class time. If she didn't want to socialize with others during her free time, she certainly didn't want to have to do it when she was supposed to be 'learning' something. It was just the principle of the issue.

 

Still, he was undeterred. "Sorry if I'm bugging you, just wanted to let you know that if you need any help with anything, you can just ask! I have a friend who's really good with making schedules, so maybe she can-"

 

"MR MUTO!" The teacher's voice rang across the classroom, annoyance heavy in her voice. "If there's something so important you have to say, can you please share it with the class?" Yugi shrank in his seat, his face blotchy as the rest of the students snickered at his predicament.

 

Seeing him properly cowed, the teacher went back to the task of detailing the rules even more until the bell blessedly rang, leaving one more period until the end of the school day.

 

Seto was quick to get to her feet, her bag already in hand as she prepared to put this classroom and too friendly boy behind her as soon as possible.

 

She could hear him getting to his feet far less smoothly, and she was already halfway across the classroom when she could hear his voice calling out to her. Without checking her stride, she made her way out the door just to almost run into the same girl that had been bothering her so much in homeroom.

 

"Hey, watch it!" The girl snapped, stepping back a bit to keep from getting bowled over. "Why don't you just move?" Seto responded coolly as she headed to the next classroom, the other's angry response lost to her as more students flooded into the hallways, surrounding her in a sea of noises.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The second week of classes at her new school passed just as quickly as the first, and bored Seto just as much. The good thing about block scheduling was that she didn't have to see the same faces everyday. That was at least one thing Domino High School had in its favor. Unfortunately, a rather sizable disadvantage was that regular classes ended earlier than her last school. This brought its own set of problems since before, Seto and Mokuba's classes ended around the same time, so she got to spend more time with her little brother being driven home from school. He was always full of stories about his classmates and the petty tyranny of his teachers, and no matter how trivial the matter, she always treasured his little stories.

 

 

Sure, spending time with Mokuba ultimately always ended with having to spend more time with Noah, but it was a trade-off Seto was more than willing to make. Now, not only did Mokuba's regular classes end later, but just the night before Mokuba had gushingly told her about some after school clubs he had pleaded with her to let him join. While it was refreshing that he would still come to her looking for her approval, it was a done issue: Seto could never deny her brother anything he had his heart set on.

 

 

That he was so eager to hang out with children his own age was only natural. It wasn't that he liked her company any less, just that he was growing. It still gnawed at her though.

 

 

Of course, Mokuba developing his social life made him increasingly curious about her own. Noah was still asking her about school and if any of the after school clubs had caught her fancy. After three nights of blatantly ignoring his questions, Mokuba began echoing him, making chirping inquests about her school, curious as to what his sister would find interesting.

 

It had been clear to her from day one that NONE of the clubs at school were worthy of her attention, and besides: there really wasn't anything she wanted to do.

 

At least nothing that she _was allowed_ do.

 

In a more perfect world, Seto would be spending her time after school at the Kaiba Corp head office, in meeting or designing schematics that would help secure the company's top market position, as well as her own within it.

 

In an even slightly better world, Seto would at least be allowed to do some of the work that the wet behind the ears university student interns (of doubtlessly dubious academic standings!) were allowed to do.

 

Unfortunately, in this world, any time she tried to take a trip the office of the company that bore the damn family name, she would end up being harassed by overly friendly assistants of her adopted brother, shepherded around like she was a wayward kindergartner instead of the heir apparent of the damn company. She was still barred from directly partaking in any activity that constituted as work for Kaiba Corp before she turned 18, and that was still something Seto was never going to forgive Noah for.

 

 

That he would use her age against her, arguing that she wasn't ready for such a responsibility, bullshit! He had been younger than she was now when he took over as CEO and President of Kaiba Corp after the surprise death of his father. She was more than ready!

 

She still remembered that disgusting face he made when he said no.

 

_'I just think that you need more time.'_

 

Well, time was something that she didn't have.

 

Actually, it was something that she _d_ _id_ have, which led her to her predicament at hand.

 

_**'Come Join the Game Club and Explore a World Full of Magic and Mystery!'** _

 

The offensively green paper was covered in a hideous font, with poorly added clip art adorning it. It was pathetically put together, and it annoyed her just by existing on the board. Said board was one of the many placed strategically around the hallways leading to the cafeteria. Most of the club posters were nondescript pieces of white paper, begging for new members in order to hold onto their budgets. It was pathetic all and all, and no self-respecting person would ever give in to such cheap appeals.

 

"Um.."

 

Seto could see a flash of color to her left, and berated herself for standing too long in front of the posters. She was stuck with someone who wanted to _talk_. Again.

 

"I see you're looking at the Game Club's flier." Of course it was that Yugi boy from art class. Board games were probably the extent of his physical ability, he looked like he could be in Mokuba's class.

 

The boy continued on, seemingly gaining courage from the fact that she hadn't walked off yet. "We meet a couple times a week in the class next to the art room, but not everyone goes to every meeting. Coming just once a week is still a lot of fun."

 

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, yet waited for him to continue. "We play a lot of different types games, with lots of card games and board games. My family runs a game shop, you know?"

 

Because they talk together _so_ much? At his pointless question, her eyes shift over to him, hooded in annoyance. He blanched a bit, but apparently he was still going to give his pitch his all. "We can't bring any video game consoles to school, but sometimes we bring them to exchange with each other! It's more fun to share games with each other than just to play by ourselves."

 

Had proper chess not fundamentally necessitated another human being as an opponent, she would have been perfectly content to play by herself. Alas, Mokuba skills were still woefully underdeveloped, and playing against a computer opponent felt empty at best.

 

Noah's skills were so sub par he wasn't even worthy of mention.

 

"I'm really not interested in playing games." She said after a pause, preparing to extract herself from the 'conversation' should be prove more insistent.

 

"Really?" He looked disappointment, but hardly as crushed as she feared. She didn't want to make a scene so close to the cafeteria, especially during lunch time. "Even if you don't want to join, if you have the time you should definitely come visit sometime and try a game or two. I think everyone has a game that they could enjoy. You know where we are if you change your mind!" With a quick pat on the flier, he made his exit, heading to the cafeteria as he waved at her. She could see him join up with a group of teens at a table, a blonde boy high-fiving him as he sat down.

 

She blinked. In all honesty, she had expected him to whine and plead a bit more about joining his little club. At least this way there were no messy dramatics like with Noah. Turning to head towards the computer lab to get some extra studying in, she noticed one of the teen's from Yugi's table glaring daggers at her. Surprise, surprise, it was the same brunette girl from homeroom. Whatever her problem was, it wasn't something she had to care about, and Seto headed off before she lost any more of her precious lunch break.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

"Yugi, my man, tell me, what are we having for lunch today?" Joey had snagged Yugi's bag as soon as he sat down, rifling through the contents as the owner tried to claim it back.

 

"I'M having a tuna sandwich and some crackers. I don't understand where this ' _we_ ' is coming from." Joey was notorious for sleeping in until the last minute, waking up only after his dad yelled for him for the third time to get his butt in gear and off to school. As a result, he rarely remembered to either bring a bag lunch or lunch money. He usually mooched off of his friends and in return was in charge of providing snacks during their study sessions.

 

"I'm begging ya, please, all I have to eat are Téa's carrot sticks and a man can't survive on veg alone!"

 

"If you're so adamant about it, you don't _have_ to eat them." Téa chided as she slowly began pulling her bag of carrots back at her. "I'll manage." Joey's reflexes are faster and grabs the bag back, opening it and eating the carrot sticks before their original owner could take them back again.

 

"That's what I thought." Téa turned her gaze over to Yugi. "Hey, Yugi, what were you talking to her about?"

 

"Who?" Yugi said between mouthfuls, already starting on his sandwich.

 

"That new girl, the what's her name some of the others were talking about." Tristan added, also curious about Yugi's pre-lunch delay.

 

"Oh, Seto? I was asking her about joining the Gaming Club. It seemed like she was interested in the club board and thought she might like it."

 

Joey snorted, "Like? I don't think she likes _anything_. She's been here for two weeks and I don't think she's ever talked to anyone unless it was a teacher."

 

"Well, she talked to me," Yugi pouted, "and it must be a lot of stress changing schools. She's probably still trying to get her bearings of the place."

 

"It's just school, Yugi." Téa interrupted. "It's not like it's so hard just to talk to people, there's no reasons to act bitchy just because."

 

"Bitchy's a little harsh, don't you think?" Tristan countered. "I mean, she doesn't seem that happy, but it's not like I'm thrilled to be here everyday either. It's high school, in case you forgot."

 

"But you see how she was talking to Yugi!" Téa replied, lips thinning. "Acting like no one's good enough to talk to her. I wonder why she left that rich kid school anyways, maybe she-"

 

"Um hello, earth to Téa." Joey interrupted, poking her in the forehead with a carrot stick. "I thought someone didn't like to gossip?”

 

"And I don't." Téa grabbed the carrot stick out of his hand and tossed it back at him, hitting him in the chest. "I'm just saying that you don't just leave a school like that for a public school, not if you still have to money for it."

 

"Maybe something happened." Joey shrugged. "Not like money problems are that rare you know." She glared at him as he popped the offending carrot stick into his mouth.

 

"I'm sure it's nothing crazy, there's no use speculating." Yugi said. "I think once she feels comfortable she'll start opening up a big more, just maybe not to us."

 

After that, the conversation at the table eased back into normal everyday chatter, but Tea couldn't shake the feeling that if the new girl had trouble at her old school, that maybe it would follow her here too.

 

There was just something about her.

 

Something she didn't like.

 

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

 

"Seto!" Mokuba's cheerful voice chirped from the couch, book in hand as he greeted his sister. She had stayed behind at school to check out its library and its meager offerings, and as a result Mokuba had gotten home first.

 

"It's good to see you, Mokuba." She smiled back, walking over to him as she laid a hand in his hair. It was getting wilder by the year. She peered closer at the book in his hands. "Is that for school?"

 

"Yup! It's Moby Dick. Have you read it before?"

 

She smirked, sitting next to him as he snuggled up to her. "Yes, though I'm interested in knowing how you find it. How far are you so far?"

 

His nose scrunched up a bit. "I'm only 30 pages in, it's not that exciting yet. When do you think he's going to fight the whale?"

 

"If you know that," A voice came from the hallway, "what motivation would you have to continue reading? Maybe it will show up when you least expect it!" Noah's head finally peeked around the corner, flashing a smile at his happy brother and scowling sister.

 

Seto's mood instantly withered, but the hand still in her brother's hair grounded her. She didn’t want to have a fit in front of Mokuba if she could help it.

 

"I see the edition you have is a newer one. Shortened it a bit, different forward too. I have a couple different versions in the library, if you want to check them out?"

 

"Uh, maybe later?" Mokuba's smile stayed on his face, but he wasn't exactly jumping at the thought of reading different versions of the same book. This version wasn't that exciting to begin with anyways.

 

Noah's gaze shifted up to Seto, and he smiled warmly at her. "How was school today, Seto?"

 

She felt herself shifting her weight as her hand moved from her brother's head. It was a pointless question, not like he hadn't been checking in with the staff at her last school on a daily basis to keep tabs on her.

 

"Yeah, Seto! Tell us, please!" Book forgotten on the cushion next to him, Mokuba shifted in his seat, redirecting his megawatt smile back at his sister. The corners of her lips tugged upward unconsciously. She really had no qualms ignoring a direct question from Noah is she could help it, but ignoring one seconded by Mokuba? There were just some things she couldn't do.

 

"Not much, really. Just getting into the routine of things, I suppose." She coupled her answer with a shrug. Mokuba's smile shifted a bit into a pout: he wasn't going to let it go that easily.

 

"Come on, Seto! Something had to have happened to~day! You're in high school, there's always interesting stuff going on! Did you have a test? Did someone get thrown out of class? Are your teachers aliens masquerading as humans until you drop your guard?"

 

Both Seto and Noah felt momentary flashes of regret at encouraging Mokuba's love for cheap science fiction movies. To think that the family company was the leader in cutting edge technologies, and one of its heirs could be entertained for hours by nothing more than rubber masks and awkward practical effects.

 

"I'm not quite sure high school is _that_ exciting," cut in Noah, as Mokuba was drawing breath for round two of ridiculous possibilities. "But at a new school everything is a new experience. Has nothing that noticeable happened this week?"

 

Seto weighed her options for a moment, before settling on a partial truth."I still haven't found any after school clubs worth joining. One of the clubs did try to recruit me, though I wasn't interested." With this revelation, both of her brother's ears pricked up, their faces brightening as if she had told them she had found the cure to cancer in a fortune cookie and wanted to share.

 

"Really? That's so cool, Seto!"

 

"That's wonderful! They must have seen your potential a mile a way." If Noah's smile could become wider, his face would probably split. "Tell us, please, what's the name of the club?"

 

"Please, Seto, please please?" Mokuba was using the eyes on her, his main and single most devastating weapon in his emotional arsenal.

 

"I told you, it's not a big deal, I don't even want to join. It's just some game club after school, nothing a college board would even look twice at."

 

Mokuba puffed out his cheeks, clearly unsatisfied with her brush off. Noah's smile headed southward into a pout that was extremely annoying on a grown man.

 

"You know college won't be an issue, and besides, clubs like these are supposed to be fun experiences! Not everything you do in school has to translate into AP credits. Are you sure you don't want to join?"

 

"Even if a branch of the” ' _our_ ' “company builds video games and the associated technology, I don't see how playing board and card games would be relevant. It doesn't catch my interest at all."

 

"But they're still games, _Seto_." Mokuba countered, clearly not willing to let the issue go. It wasn't everyday that his sister got to socialize with other kids like a normal teenager. "Maybe they can help give you new ideas, or inspire you to make better stuff! It's almost like you'd be doing KC work at School!"

 

"Now, now" Noah clearly looked a world less enthused about the idea. "Your school work IS your main work, Seto. A club like this should mainly be about fun. You're still a kid, you know?"

 

And there was THAT again.

 

"I really don't see how lame games like that would inspire me, Mokuba, but I see your point." It was always good to encourage Mokuba when he really put thought into his words, even if it was to say something she didn't particularly like to hear.

 

"So will you join then?" He looked up at her hopefully. "When does it meet, again? If it's right after school, maybe the times will match up so we can ride back home together! What do you say?"

 

Game, set, and match. The thought of doing work even slightly related to the company paired with being able to spend more time with her younger brother tragically pushed the scales of judgment into the favor of Yugi's little geek club.

 

Her hand found it's way back into his hair, and she gave it a soft ruffle. "If it means that much to you-"

 

"It does!"

 

Her heart clenched a bit.

 

"If it means that much to you, maybe I'll check it out. No promises, though, it might turn out to be super boring and will just fry my brain."

 

Mokuba giggled at that thought, and he sprang forward, twisting his arms around his sister's waist. If it made Mokuba happy....

 

 

"Well, it's settled then!" Noah clapped his hands together, smiling at the pair. "Just let the drivers know what time they'll need to pick you up, and if your club needs anything-"

 

"I haven't even joined it yet." She grumbled.

 

"Anything at all, don't hesitate to ask! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!" With that, he did a half spin on his heel, heading out of the living room and no doubt heading to his office to harangue the school into giving him partially confidentially material about her classmates. Seto let out a huff of breath.

 

As much as she didn't like feeling conned into joining the club, seeing how happy it made Mokuba would probably be worth it.

 

Probably.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Of course, making the decision to join the club was the easy part. Next was the actual joining.

 

After an all too brief weekend respite, Seto was back at school feeling sullen about the upcoming conversation. Even though she knew the regular meeting times for the club, she didn't want to pop in unexpected and feel even more awkward and out of place. Who knew who else was in the club, or what little hierarchy Seto would be dealing with.

 

She knew where to find the answers. The club was apparently Yugi's brainchild, and he'd know anything she'd need to know. That just led to a small problem: getting Yugi alone.

 

See, while Seto was willing to join the club (for Mokuba! and to a lesser degree Kaiba Corp), and was even willing to deal with the prospect of other students being in said club, that didn't mean that she wanted this to be public news. She could feel the geek coming off of Yugi just by sitting next to him. The last thing she wanted was for him to think they were friends. She'd seen the losers he sat with for lunch, she didn't want any part of that.

 

Said losers were complicating her problem. Homeroom was a no-go today because while Seto was early, like usual, Yugi rushed in almost late to class followed by that weird girl that kept staring at her. Apparently she was still in a staring mood, since when she glanced over at Yugi after homeroom was over the girl was glaring straight at her like she could read her mind. As long as that girl was around, talking to Yugi in private would be impossible.

 

Lunch time wouldn't work either since they'd both be coming from separate classes, and once he got to the cafeteria he would already be flanked by that girl or two of his goonish looking buddies that always laughed too loudly. Not that they had done anything personally to her, but she didn't feel like being introduced them like Yugi would undoubtedly do.

 

That left an uncomfortably small margin of opportunities for Seto to talk to Yugi before the next club meeting. Aside from homeroom and lunch time, the next class she would have with Yugi that day was Art. Here at least he was without his usual gang. He usually walked to class with that girl, and when class time was over she'd come and wait to walk with him to their next class.

 

Seto felt her stomach squirm a bit. She really didn't want to talk to Yugi during class time about something unrelated to class. It was the principle of the thing! Still, she didn't have many choices, and if she had to choose between unauthorized communications with a fellow student during class time versus showing up and possibly making a (bigger) fool of herself come Wednesday, she'd choose the first.

 

She was just going to have to be smart about it.

 

Art was one of the last classes of the day, so Seto had plenty of time to plan out her attack. Yugi would show up to class, take his seat, Seto would hand him a note, he would miraculously not ask her ' _why_ ' or any other stupid question, he would have the forethought to wait until after class (after school even!) to read the note in private, and then the following day he too would discretely pass her a note containing an organized list of all of the information she had asked for.

 

Yes, this seemed like the perfect plan. There was nothing she could do wrong.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

 

That last statement turned out to be absolutely correct. It turned out, while there was nothing Seto could have done wrong, there was plenty that Yugi could.

 

For starters, he showed up to class with plenty of time to spare minus his usual guard. This left a gap of two minutes before the start of class, where most of the other students chatted with each other and horsed around. Now, this would have been plenty of time for Seto to ask Yugi about everything she needed to know about maybe-possibly joining his stupid club and what to expect, and plenty of time to tell him to tell her later in private and not to talk because class was starting.

 

Seto mulled over asking her questions outright ( _Who's in the club? What games do you really play? How likely will I be harassed by the rest of the student body for joining this club?_ ) or sticking to her plan with the note, and before she realized it class was about to begin and the note was still in her (now slightly sweaty) hand. Yugi was already seated next to her, pulling out his pencils for the class and oblivious to her dilemma.

 

Thinking fast, Seto gently poked Yugi in the shoulder, trying to be discreet but not startle him. He looked up at her and he looked like he was about to greet her and ask something unnecessary, but she was already jamming the note into his hand and looking away from him.

 

"Um, hey, wh-"

 

"Shut up. Class is starting, put it away." She hissed under her breath, her eyes fixed at the front of the class where the teacher was getting ready to read roll call.

 

"What is this though?" As if he couldn't follow directions. "Is something wro-"

 

"MUTO, can you wait until I call your name, or are you that desperate to talk?" Apparently the teacher was not in the best of moods, and a slightly distracted Yugi was easy enough of a target. Seto could see the note disappearing into his hand as he closed it into a loose fist, Yugi looking immensely uncomfortable with the teacher's attention.

 

"Sorry!" And he hunched back into his seat. He looked a little miserable, and Seto didn't even feel slightly guilty since he could've avoided all of this just by listening in the first place.

 

She felt him glancing at her a few more times during class, but she ignored him, listening to the teacher drone on about proper shading techniques and being willing to take chances (like pressing a little harder with her pencil while shading was living on the edge). The class seemed to take forever, and by the time it was done Seto couldn't wait to get out of the classroom.

 

Yugi was probably going to try and ask her about the note, and the last thing she needed was a confused, slightly sad Yugi trying to talk to her with THAT girl already on her way. No doubt she'd blame her for Yugi's slight distress. Which,

 

Okay, it was slightly her fault, but Yugi was going to need to be a bit more pragmatic if he was going to graduate.

 

She was out of the classroom and free before the girl showed up, and she felt herself walking a little taller at the success of her plan.

 

Phase one was complete.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

"Hey Yugi!" Téa was a little later than usual coming to meet Yugi at his Art class. It was one of his favorite subjects, but one she really didn't have the patience for. She dropped it once it became an optional elective, and besides, her schedule was full enough anyways. She met him at the door, and instantly noted that he didn't have his usual pep after class.

 

"Something wrong? Did you get yelled at again?"

 

"Come on, Téa," he chuckled weakly, "you know I don't get yelled at that much. Ms Davey is just, you know." And she did; _ANOTHER_ reason why she had dropped Art class, but she still felt that something was wrong. Getting told off for talking in class usually didn't bring him down like this.

 

She smiled, and then turned. If Yugi needed to talk, he knew she was there for him. That went without saying. "Come on slowpoke," she called over her shoulder, "let's get to study hall."

 

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. It wasn't until she was at Yugi's house for one of their weekly study sessions (never too early in the year to start!) that she remembered his low mood after Art class. Yugi had a small habit from getting distracted in class, either from fiddling with his puzzles or talking with one of his friends. Yugi was usually so mild-mannered that the teachers let him go with a warning, but Ms Davey tended to yell louder than was necessary. Maybe she felt like he wasn't respecting art enough in her presence, or something else weird like that. Their Art teacher was a piece of work, she gave her that.

 

Yugi's home was a game shop that his family owned. His mother and grandfather lived with him upstairs as the 1st floor was dedicated to the store. It had always felt cozy and welcoming to her, and it was almost like a second home.

 

She waved hello to Yugi's grandfather, who was manning the store today, and went upstairs with Yugi. He was already in the kitchen, seated at the table pulling books out of his bag. Téa let her bag slide from her shoulder as she sat across from him at her usual spot.

 

They studied together in comfortable silence for a while, breaking it to talk about some of their shared classes to compare notes. Usually Téa and Yugi studied together a couple times a week, but at least twice a month the whole gang would descend upon Yugi's house for a full study session.

 

After Téa had joined their friendship group, she had proposed the idea of group study sessions. She was the proponent and only enthusiastic member of the group; Yugi had meekly agreed under the overwhelming eagerness she had for the idea, and Tristan had been willing to convince Joey to give it a shot.

 

Over all, it went fairly well. Téa was best at literature and English, Tristan was good with science, Yugi with art, and Joey usually brought the snacks. He wasn’t too bad at math either, but usually didn’t have a lot of patience for it. Everyone used their strengths to help each other, and leaned on one another when they needed help.

 

Yugi's mother didn't mind them taking over the kitchen, living room, or Yugi's room (during exam period), and when she was home from work she'd sometimes help them or offer to read their essays for them. It was a pretty great plan, and Téa was very proud of it.

 

"You know, we're juniors this year."

 

Téa looked up, caught a little off guard by the question. "Yeah, Yugi, I know. What about it?"

 

Yugi was tapping the side of his mouth with his pencil, not biting at the eraser from sheer will power alone. It was one of his more obvious tells that he was feeling nervous.

 

"It just feels weird that time's passing by so fast. Mr Van Damme was talking about remembering to register to take the ACT sometime this year. Some people are going to be applying to universities soon too."

 

Ah.

 

"Yeah, but he just said that it was optional at this point. We really wouldn't need to take it until the beginning of our senior year. That's plenty of time for more study sessions, if you're worried about that." In fact, Téa already had 3 books (courtesy of her parents and a bookstore closing sale) dedicated to the test. Practice quizzes, study tips, even test-taking techniques, Téa was going to be beyond prepared come test day. She was already thinking about taking it in January and wondered if she could make Yugi or Tristan take it with her. Joey would never stoop so low as to take a test before being forced to.

 

Yugi's lips quirked up into a half smile. "I didn't just mean the test, Téa. I meant after the test. After graduation. What's going to happen."

 

Téa smiled back warmly, but she felt her lips tighten.

 

"Yugi, like I said, there's still plenty of time for the test, and plenty of time to think about after graduation. I don't think Mr Van Damme was trying to pressure us to hurry up and make a decision, he's just trying to encourage us."

 

"That's just my point. Graduation is going to come, we throw our caps in the air," he flipped his pencil lightly into the air and caught it on it's way back down, "and then we all separate. It didn't feel that real until this year."

 

Téa puffed out her cheeks a bit. She was usually the one over planning and fussing over the future, both near and distant. She didn't like to hear Yugi do the same. "C'mon, don't be like that. Everyone's going to figure out their plan, but it's not the middle ages. No matter what happens, we'll stay in contact with everyone, and we'll always be friends." Because how could they not? Téa couldn't bring herself to imagine a world where that wouldn't remain the case.

 

Yugi shrugged, clearly wanting to drop the subject. "Sorry, I just feel weird about it sometimes. It's no big deal." And it,

 

it kinda was, but not in a way where they could do much about it.

 

From the kitchen, the two could hear the back door opening and slamming shut. A faint chorus of "I'm home!" "Stop breaking the door, you know better!" could be heard from downstairs. Yugi's mom was back home.

 

"Hey," Téa kicked Yugi under the table to get his attention. "Let's go downstairs and say 'hi' to your mom. Maybe she brought us some snacks." With that, Téa was already up, pushing her chair in as she headed for the stairs. "I'll race ya!"

 

"Cheater!" Yugi called out as he stood up and tried to catch up to her, but by the time he made it to the stairs he could already hear Téa greeting his mom. He stood at the top of the stairs, and let out a soft sigh. He had wanted to talk a bit about Téa's plans for the future, and if what she mentioned last summer about moving to New York was still what she was pursuing.

 

Unconsciously, he stuck his hand in his pocket, and felt something poking his finger. Pulling the object out, he recognized it as the folded piece of paper Seto had forced upon him during art class. In the rush after class, he had stuck it in his pocket and forgotten to read it.

 

Knowing that his mother would be willing to wait another minute for her greeting, he opened it up.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Wednesday afternoon came sooner than Seto was ready for. Yugi had discreetly slipped her a note in homeroom Tuesday morning, somehow escaping the eagle eye of that girl (Seto was really going to have to learn to remember her name if she was ever going to need to report her for creeping on her). Inside the slightly crumpled piece of paper was mostly everything she had asked about. Somewhat sloppily written, but what she had asked for nonetheless.

 

The Game Club's membership was rather small, and most members only made sporadic appearances throughout the year. The only regular attendees were Yugi and another boy, and those two were the only ones in the classroom that the club was using when she walked in 10 minutes after the club meeting time. She still didn't feel 100% about going, but she had already set up the time with her driver and she didn't need Yugi kicking up a fuss the next day if she ditched at this point.

 

Tentatively pushing the door open, she was both fairly surprised and mildly disappointed. Yugi was busy setting up what seemed like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on two tables that were pushed together, and the other boy was humming softly to himself as he was inspecting little model figurines that covered his desk.

 

The club seemed low-key enough not to give her a migraine from walking through the door, but was this all there was to it? It would be next to impossible to get any data out of such a small pool of teenagers that would be even remotely useful to Kaiba Corp. The small hope that she would be able to do something to benefit the company and prove her worth to Noah's indifference flickered and dimmed.

 

"Oh, hey, you made it! I was getting a little worried!" Yugi cheerfully called out to her, leaving the puzzle pieces alone and making his way over to her.

 

"I had some things to finish first." She offered quietly, not feeling the need to tell Yugi she was thinking about backing out the entire walk over. Best to let him think whatever he'd like.

 

"Well, you caught us on a good day. I have a new game I borrowed from my grandpa, I think you'll like it." Her lips twitched into an almost-smile, and he went on. "Before that, let me introduce you to Ryou." He gestured over at the other boy, who looked up and smiled brightly. Oh great, it was going to be like the first day of classes all over again.

 

"Hi, I'm Ryou Bakura. I'm co-captain of the club here with Yugi, mostly on account that we don't have many other members." He cocked his head, peering closer at her. "Did Yugi trick you into joining the club? Like, make you feel guilty or anything? I told him he can't do that anymore." She looked blankly at Ryou, his words taking a couple extra seconds to process as Yugi proceeded to turn beet red next to her.

 

"Ryou, stop it! It's not like that and you know it!"

 

Ryou shifted his smile over to Yugi, beaming. "I'm sure you really mean that, but I know you Yugi." He turned back to Seto. "The school promised our club's budget another $50 if we were able to get a girl to join the club. Last time Yugi tried to bring a girl to the club, she left after 5 minutes and never came back."

 

"Téa was only going to stay for a few minutes, she had dance lessons and I wasn't trying to trick her."

 

"OK, sure Yugi. Well, it's good that your family owns a game shop so we don't have to worry about our club budget being only double digits. There's fun in a challenge." He waved a figurine at Yugi, letting the little knight emphasize his point.

 

' _Interesting_.' Seto thought mildly as she watched the scene between the two.

 

"Seto, this is just a Game Club," Yugi turned to her, a pleading look on his face. "I promise I wasn't trying to trick you or anything, I just thought maybe you'd have fun, I'd never-"

 

She held a hand up interrupting him. She _did_ need something to fill the gap between the end of classes and riding home with Mokuba, and while this club was little more than a geek session between the easily riled up Yugi and his tormentor in chief Ryou, it was better than nothing.

 

"I'm sure whatever happened in the past is already over. You said you had a new game, right?"

 

He looked relieved at the change of conversation, and then his face brightened. "Yes, he just got it this week, though it's not a new game. It's called Carcassonne, have you ever heard of it?"

 

"In a history book, but I doubt that it was referring to a game."

 

Yugi nodded. "Probably the other way around! Come on you two, let's get the pieces set up." He waved them over back to the two tables covered in pieces. Seto inspected them closer. It was hard to see the exact point of the game. There were a lot of cardboard pieces with what seemed like a giant scene printed upon them and divided up. Some pieces were fields of grass, some spindly roads, others even what looked like castle walls. She frowned. Seto didn't know if she wanted to a play a game without any practice. It seemed like an unfair advantage.

 

Yugi and Ryou were already making piles with the pieces face-down, the cardboard towers teetering carefully as they added more pieces.

 

"You know," Yugi said quietly, "it's alright if you don't want to play right away. I'll explain the rules, but it can be kind of hard to get the gist of a game without watching it first. What would you like to do, Seto?"

 

"Oh yeah, that's your name." Ryou cut in. Seto tensed for a moment before he continued. "That's cool, back-stories are optional here, though I don't know why Yugi doesn't think that _I'd_ like to _'get the gist'_ of a game before he kicks my butt at it. House rules don't seem so fair, you think?"

 

He definitely was a weird one. "It really doesn't matter to me either way." Which was a lie since Seto knew that she was, somewhat shamefully, one of the sorest losers she'd ever met and a great first impression to leave on the other two would be throwing a fit at losing some stupid puzzle game. "It's better to learn as you go. Were you going to share the rules yet?"

 

Yugi smiled and nodded. "That's great! And Ryou, you know you know most of the games at my shop, don't act like you don't know which types I usually pick."

 

Ryou just shrugged his shoulders, letting the accusation roll off. Ignoring him, Yugi finally got down to business. "Okay, the rules are pretty straightforward. We each pick puzzle pieces and we have to add them together. Two pieces can only connect if the touching sides are the same types. Roads match to roads, rivers to rivers, grass to grass, you get the idea. Castle walls can be connected, and can be as big or small as you can make them. The key point in the game is finishing a space. Connect enough castle walls to make a compete castle, finish a road, doing any of these actions will give you points."

 

Yugi went on in detail about what structures gave what points, and Seto cataloged the data, slowly trying to develop the building blocks a strategy. When he was done, he handed out little wooden blocks in the shape of people. Seto, unsurprisingly, ended up with the blue set. She lined them up in an orderly fashion as Ryou tried to make a human pyramid with his red blocks. She felt that she had at least an idea on how to start the game, and once all the stacks of puzzle pieces were ready it was time to begin.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

Losing felt as bad as she expected it to. The game had started well enough, pieces put together haphazardly as roads stretched on unendingly and castle walls began to be connected. Soon enough, though, Seto felt like the strategies that were half-formed in her mind weren't nearly good enough to keep up with Yugi. Even Ryou seemed to catch on pretty quickly, and it became evident that Seto was probably not going to score that many points. Winning wasn’t even an option.

 

Pulling puzzle pieces at random was a lousy way to plan a strategy, and she found herself getting quietly frustrated at the game and at Yugi. Why had she agreed to play it in the first place? Did Yugi think it was funny to beat the others at a game they haven't even heard before when he must have practiced it dozens of times?

 

More uncharitable thoughts slowly began the fill her head as the game dwindled down to the last few pieces. Eventually, the game came to an end, and they had to count up their points. Seto was finished rather quickly, having being beaten by Yugi by an embarrassingly high margin. Even Ryou had done leagues better than her, and he hadn't had any experience with the game either.

 

Feeling a little put out, Seto began counting down the time before she could leave. It wasn’t like leaving 15 minutes early would be such a bad thing, even if it meant hanging out in the school's front lobby with the rest of the unwashed masses. Seto felt something nagging at her, and she was pulled out of her thoughts when she caught a glimpse of Yugi's worried face.

 

"Um, how was it Seto? Did you think it was any fun?"

 

'No' would have been the concise answer, and a sneering ' _Not like I expected_ _it would_ ' would have been a little satisfying, but she was better than that. Well, she wasn't, but Mokuba thought she was and she could be civil at at least one geek meeting for him.

 

She sat up in the chair, posture straightening as she considered her answer. "It wouldn't have been my first choice, but it's an interesting concept game. I prefer ones with better strategy though."

 

Ryou nodded sagely, and Yugi looked relieved. "I guess luck has a pretty big role in the pieces you draw, but it's how you play them that really matters." She shrugged, acknowledging the idea without fully agreeing to it.

 

"I'd say it was about a 5.5/10. It could have had more story, I couldn't feel enough motivation in me." Yugi rolled his eyes at his friend. "Ryou, I'm sorry, but you know we can't play Dungeons and Dragons ever meeting. It's usually just the two of us anyways, and you're a merciless DM." Ryou grinned, like it was a point of pride.

 

"We do sometimes get nights where more of the club members show up." He said to Seto. "When we have enough, we like to play tabletop rpgs. If you came by one of those times, you'd probably have some fun. Or not."

 

She thought about it for a moment.

 

"I'd probably pass."

 

"Why?" Yugi questioned. "Those are usually the best nights at the club!"

 

Seto fought the urge to fidget. She didn't see why she would have to explain herself, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. "Games like that tend to shift according to the players. I prefer ones with more rigid rules and specific win conditions. Games where the fairness of the system is dependent on an 'impartial' player tend to be more about socializing than actual strategy. I'm not very interested in it."

 

Yugi looked a little disappointed, but didn't seem defeated. "While I'd agree that Ryou is a lousy DM,"

 

"The BEST!" Ryou interrupted.

 

"-I think that it's still a lot of fun. There's tons of strategy in it, you just need to work it into the situation."

 

Flexibility, in general, was not one of Seto's strong points, and she knew that probably influenced how she felt. Of course, knowing why she felt a certain way didn’t do anything to make her feel that any less.

 

"Whatever you say, Yugi. It's getting towards the end of the meeting time, isn't it?:

 

Yugi looked over at his watch. "Yeah, I guess so, we have a few more minutes, let's clean this up."

 

The surreal medieval landscape created across the joined pieces quickly fell apart as they gathered the pieces and placed them back in the box. As soon as they were done, she took her leave after a brisk 'Good bye'. There was no point in making any promises about coming back, she still wasn't sure if it would be worth her time or not. Still, at least she would have something to share with Mokuba today.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

"Sooooooooooooooo." Ryou drawled out. It was like he'd been waiting for Seto's loud footsteps to stop echoing in the otherwise deserted hallways. He shot a look at Yugi. "Did you really invite her because she thought that she'd have fun? I can assure you, the reaction you saw just now is not consistent with those of people experiencing happiness or joy, or even mild contentment.”

 

“Shut up, Bakura.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Despite her better judgment, Seto found herself outside that classroom again on Friday. The Game Club met three times a week, and while she didn't want to spend that much time with the geek squad, she couldn't just quit after one meeting. Besides, she had told Mokuba about the first club meeting the day before, and while he seemed excited to hear about her spending time with others, he didn't seemed that impressed with her departure.

 

“'You're the worst at losing, Seto. You didn't _have_ to get upset.”

 

And it's not like she was upset. She didn't even care, really. It just seemed pointless to play a game that only one person knew how to play. Yugi winning was less about skill and more about having actually practiced the game. It wasn't a victory worth being proud about, nor one worth getting upset over.

 

Still......

 

But Mokuba seemed determined that she keep at it, so here she was, same time, same place. Walking in, same people too.

 

"Hey, new girl. Didn't think you'd be back!" Ryou had the same annoying smile on his face, once again at his desk surrounded by his figurines. She wondered if he really brought them to school everyday, or if the teacher let him keep them there.

 

"Seto!" Yugi looked up from some cards he had been shuffling, startled but clearly happy to see her. Seto's lips quirked into what she hoped was an imitation of a smile. She might as well make the most of it. "I'm so glad you're back! How was the game last time? Did you think it was too boring? Was there something else you wanted to play?"

 

The words kept coming out of his mouth, like if he said the right thing she would stay and not run off again like she had the day before. "Well, _I_ thought it was boring." remarked Ryou, but Yugi ignored him.

 

She waved her had nonchalantly. "It was fine. And I didn't really come here with another game idea. I haven't played that many board games."

 

Yugi took the news in stride, his mind already thinking about some other games back at the shop that they could try the next week. Ryou went back to his figurines, ignoring the other two as surely as they were ignoring him.

 

"Well, what games have you played? Which ones do you like?"

 

Seto felt that they'd had this conversation before. She didn't like repeating herself, but it's help take up the time before meeting up with Mokuba again.

 

"I prefer strategy games. Straightforward, rules based."

 

"Bor-ing." Ryou chimed in. "Too many rules and it's not even a game anymore, just programming."

 

Seto ignored him. "I don't particularly like multiplayer games. They tend to dilute strategies, focusing more on how players play the game instead of the game itself."

 

"And like I said before, playing with others is the best. But I see where you're coming from. What about a game like Monopoly? Is something like that okay? That's pretty strategy based, and practical too."

 

Seto's nose scrunched up a bit. Her first game of Monopoly had also been her last, and it had ended with Seto throwing her wads of fake money at Noah as she stormed off, Mokuba trailing after her as stomped all the way up to her room. It had also been the last time Noah had tried to instigate a 'Game Night' in the home.

 

It hadn't been her proudest moment. She had been but 12 at the time, though.

 

"It's fine, but some people," not her "get too emotional during it, and the strategy portion tends to go out the window."

 

"Sometimes, the game board too!" Ryou added unhelpfully.

 

"Well, we generally try to avoid that here." Yugi said, eyeing Ryou.

 

"Hey, you should have been here last year. We were playing D&D, and two of the new members got a little too into it and started attacking each other with their figurines." Ryou quirked his head at Seto. "You'd be surprised how much damage someone can do with an elven knight."

 

"Tristan and Joey already said that they're sorry-"

 

"They're not sorry at all."

 

"They are, and they promised not to show up again outside of the game shop. C'mon Ryou, let it go."

 

Ryou's face curled into a pout. "I was prepping all month for that game. All the figurines were brand new, carved and painted by me. And how was I rewarded? Explaining to the principal that two junior members of the game club had managed not only to tear up each others' faces, but caused $350 worth of damage to the classroom as well. I thought they were gonna ban the club, I was distraught."

 

Yugi rolled his eyes at Ryou's dramatics. "Just ignore him, he acts like he doesn't but he loves attention."

 

These two really were weird, but they seemed manageable. "Who are those two who did that then?"

 

"Oh, Tristan and Joey? I think you've seen them before, I usually eat lunch with them." Yugi's eyes brightened; he had a new idea. "Hey, why don't you have lunch with us? I usually never see you in the cafeteria, you should try sitting with us instead!"

 

"And by ' _us_ ', he means Joey, Tristan, Téa, and himself. I usually have better things to do than let Joey steal my lunch while I'm eating." Ryou cut in.

 

"I'm sure you do." Seto answered. She really didn't mind eating lunch by herself. Usually, she ate in one of the empty classrooms or got her homeroom teacher to write her a pass to use the computer lab. She never took more than a few minutes to finish eating, and used the rest of the lunch period to do homework or catch up on business news. It never hurt to keep up with the KC stocks, after all.

 

"If you don't want to, that's cool, but I think it will be fun. Everyone would like to get to know you."

 

Something clicked in her head.

 

"Wait, Téa? Is that that one girl in homeroom who sits next to you?"

 

Yugi looked troubled for a second, but it passed. "Yeah, that's her. Brown hair, kind tall, well, not as tall as you, but still."

 

Seto frowned at the confirmation. "Why is she always staring at me? I don't even remember talking to her."

 

"Really?" Why was Yugi looking at her like that? "Okay, uh, I don't know. I haven't really noticed, are you sure?"

 

Seto was getting annoyed now. "Yes, I'm definitely sure. She's always glaring at me like she's got something to say. I think I'm going to pass on the lunch invite if she's there."

 

Yugi deflated a bit at that. "Well, okay. The offer still stands if you change your mind."

 

"Téa's not so bad." Ryou adds. "Sure, sometimes she's kinda high strung and she couldn't even stand to stay for one whole club meeting, but she's not so bad. Maybe she thinks you're weird?"

 

Seto glared at him. Where did he get off accusing other people of being weird?

 

"Look, we've chatted enough, can we just start the game? I can leave if we're not."

 

"Okay, okay, just let me cut the deck." Yugi said, shuffling the cards and dealing them out.

 

"Am I safe to say that everyone here is familiar with Old Maid?"

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

If there was one place Téa was going to find some peace, it was going to be at her dance class. At four lessons a week, it was a haven from the stresses of school and work. Not that it was easy. Téa had been dancing since her mother had enrolled her at a community center for lessons when she was 3 years old, and every year she had to work harder and longer to push herself to the next level. Moving forward was what gave her direction in life, showing her how far she had come since she had first stumbled in tap shoes when her mother looked on.

 

There was nothing she wanted more than to become a professional dancer, and every session brought her one step closer to that dream. Helping her along with that dream was her current and favorite dance instructor, a beautiful blonde harpy of a woman who inspired terror in most of her class and awe in Téa.

 

Ms Valentine had been Téa's instructor since she moved to Domino back in middle school. She was as strict as they came, but she had the skills to back it up, moving across the floor like she was weightless yet with the endurance that a linebacker would be in awe of. All cool professional in class, outside of it she was loud and friendly, and she always seemed to have tabs on how everyone was doing. Whether someone had a bad day at school, family troubles, or anxiety about their own skill, she just seemed to know.

 

Of course, when it came to Téa, it was easy for her to know: Téa never stopped talking about her day. With the unspoken agreement that Téa keep her personal conversation limited to cool downs after class, she always found a patient listener in her favorite teacher. As patient a listener as one can be listening to teenagers vent their endless woes upon them.

 

“I just don't get what her problem is!” Téa was on the floor, legs splayed out as she rested her forehead against her right knee, her hands gently pulling at her right foot. On the barre, Ms Valentine stretched a long leg across it. “She's just can't stop being awful to anyone who tries to talk to her, and worst, she keeps being rude to Yugi!”

 

“Yes, the game shop Yugi. The one who likes you, right?” Ms Valentine let that comment out casually, but she enjoyed seeing the light flush that colored Téa's neck. That boy was a sensitive spot for the girl.

 

“That was ages ago. He's my friend, and he likes everyone, and that's the problem! He's gonna keep letting her be horrible to him just because he's too nice to tell her to buzz off.”

 

Ms Valentine hummed lightly at that. “I see, but isn't that his problem then? He's a big boy, he can probably take care of himself pretty well. Are you so sure they don't get along?”

 

Tea snorted. “Positive. If you met her, you'd understand.”

 

“And there lies the core of the problem.” Ms Valentine brought her leg down before gracefully sweeping the other one up, stretching the new one in turn. “I tragically don't have the time to visit random high schools to see which teenagers are being horrible in this brave new world. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me.”

 

Téa mirrored her teacher in switching legs, rolling her eyes once she knew Ms Valentine couldn't see.

 

“I have to see her everyday in homeroom, and in gym class too. She just treats everyone like they're lower than her, even the teachers. She doesn't have any respect for anyone.”

 

“A disrespectful teenager?” Ms Valentine let out a mock gasp. “Who could imagine such a thing?”

 

“But she _is_.” That came out a little too close to a whine for Téa's liking, and she tried to come at it again at a new angle. “And do you know where she comes from? _Princeton Academy._ ”

 

“Wow, that must be fascinating. I'm sure she's glad that you find her old school so exciting.”

 

Téa looked up at her teacher. “Come on, stop that. She's only from one of the richest, most exclusive, snobbish schools in the region, let alone the state, and you don't think it's even slightly weird that she's going to some humdrum school like Domino High?”

 

Ms Valentine usually wasn't this blasé about Téa's problems, and if there was something that Miss Seto ' _too good for_ _you_ ' Kaiba was, it was a problem.

 

And trouble.

 

And really damn irritating.

 

“Look, Téa, darling, apple of my eye, light of my life, pain in my behind.”

 

“You're not taking me seriously, are you?” Téa groaned.

 

“Of course I am.” Ms Valentine answered brightly, swinging her leg down and stepping away from the barre with a little twirl. “I was just wondering when you were going to bring this girl up to the studio so I can finally meet her.”

 

“wHAT?” Téa sputtered out, looking aghast at the idea.

 

“Well, you keep talking about her so much, I assumed that you were trying to butter me up and let you bring your someone up here again to watch class. Those two numskulls are still banned by the way.”

 

Téa grimaced. “I said I was sorry and it wouldn't happen again.”

 

Ms Valentine flicked some stray curls out of her face. “And I know you are, even if they aren't. But yes, if you're going to keep cornering me after class to keep complaining about your mystery girl, I think you owe it to me to actually bring her up here so I can see for myself how horrible she is. She's obviously bewitched your mind, and clouded your senses. I think it would be perfect.”

 

Seeing that her time with her teacher was reaching an end, Téa, sprang up, following her off of the paneled floor. “Don't be ridiculous, she hates me, that's what I've been trying to tell you. She hate's everyone, she's just awful.”

 

“Ms Gardner.” Ms Valentine's voice changed to the strict tone she usually used during her lessons. “This time last year, I had you coming to me after class badgering me with questions about your form and posture, and you were already fretting about the Winter Performance at the community center. Now, instead of questions actually pertaining to _dance_ , all I hear about is your new worst enemy and how she's ruining your life every second of the day.”

 

“But-”

 

' _Teenagers_.' Ms Valentine sighed to herself. A different approach, then.

 

“Téa,” her voice softened again, “if you aren't willing to take my suggestion, why don't you take some advice instead?”

 

The girl frowned, but nodded. She trusted her teacher, more than pretty much anyone else.

 

“This girl in fact may be the most terrible person in the world. Quite possibly so. Or maybe she's trying to adjust. Maybe she's lonely. Maybe making friends is just some unfathomable concept to her and she wouldn't know how to do it even if she tried.”

 

Téa had her doubts about that, but stayed silent.

 

“You don't have to be her friend. You don't have to talk to her. You don't even have to be _nice_ to her. But I think your friend Yugi's heart is in the right place, and you should keep letting him do what he's doing. Aren't the rest of his friends little hellions too?”

 

Téa could hear the ' _like you?'_ implied at the end. She didn't bother to nod, Ms Valentine already knew.

 

“So just avoid her if you can, and deal with her if you can't.” Ms Valentine cocked her head at Téa, smiling affectionately. “You're a big girl, and you've handled worse than this before.”

 

Téa made a face. “I could handle her any day. I could handle anyone.”

 

Ms Valentine burst out laughing. “As you keep telling me.” She winked at her. “But I'll let you keep thinking that. Now hurry up and get changed, you know your mother worries about you if you get home too late. A growing girl still needs dinner.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I'll hurry up.” Everyone else had already changed into street clothes and most were already waiting in the downstairs lobby for their parents to pick them up. Téa had a date with her trusty bike instead, and it was a long ride home. She headed over to the locker room.

 

“And remember,” Ms Valentine called out to Téa's retreating back, “if you're going to keep bringing that girl up after class you'll have to actually bring her to class someday. I'm dying to meet her now.”

 

With a scowl, Téa turned away from her smirking teacher, her good mood from class already dimming. Leave it to Seto to ruin things when she wasn't even there.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

The rest of the week passed, and Seto felt the life being sucked out of her. The daily toll of dealing with the unwashed masses was becoming harder and harder to bear. She didn't mind the school work, it was just being surrounded by mediocrity that was difficult.

 

She had yet to take up Yugi on his lunchroom offer, though she was still going to the club meetings. So far, it was only the three of them, though Yugi promised some more members would drop by once autumn started in earnest. She didn't know how she felt about that, but as long as she kept with the club, she'd have more time to spend with Mokuba after school, and that was all that really mattered. She could deal with Yugi and Ryou's antics.

 

Speaking of Yugi...

 

 

Seto could still feel that ' _Téa_ ' girl staring at her. Not all the time, no, but still way too often. In homeroom, passing in the halls, even one particularly tense encounter in the bathroom, it seemed that Seto couldn't get away from the dirty looks.

 

 

Seto wasn't proud to admit that she had all but fled the bathroom during that encounter, washing her hands as quickly as possible before making a b-line out of there. She hadn't even bothered to dry her hands properly, the sloppiness nagging at her as she shook her hands and wiped them on the dress slacks. She could feel the other girl's eyes trying to drill through the back of her head as she left.

 

As things were, Seto knew it couldn't go on like this. She'd eventually have to confront the other girl about this, since spending the next two years avoiding the creeper was going to be tough, since they'd still be in the same homeroom next year.

 

Just, how?

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with this fic idea while sewing my fingers to exhaustion making my Pokemon Go costume last Halloween listening to Oingo Boingo's 'Weird Science'. I didn't even watch the movie until I was about 20k in. You've been forewarned,


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Games are supposed to bring people together, aren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some poor communication skills.

 

 

 

With a mix of club meetings, dance practice, and her part time job (dance lessons didn't pay for themselves, or at least not yet), Téa's schedule outside of school was feeling pretty jam-packed. Not bad, so to say, since she liked being busy; too much down time made her feel uneasy. It was just draining on top of school work and giving dirty looks to that Kaiba girl.

 

Well, not so many since she'd been heeding Ms Valentine's advice and trying to ignore the other girl. It wasn't hard to avoid being near her in gym class or homeroom, which Téa was grateful for. Téa liked gym class, even if Coach Howard was a lot more boring and gruff than Mr Van Damme was.

 

Joey and Tristan were in that class too, and it was entertaining to see Joey keep getting himself in trouble with the coach and Tristan trying to get him out of it. Joey just seemed to have it out for the coach, since he actually behaved himself (for the most part) with his other teachers. Only Ms Davey got it worse from Joey, and she really had it in for him. Yet another (albeit deserving) victim of one of Joey's endless misadventures in the Domino school system. If she didn't know how mellow Joey's dad was, she'd think his blood pressure would be skyrocketing by now.

 

It was slowly edging toward the end of September, and that Friday was a perfect autumn day. Bright, sunny, warm in the midday but a gentle breeze chillingly her lightly, this really was her favorite time of year. The passions and warmth of summer gently easing towards a cool, relaxing period before all of the adventures of winter came to head. Sure, the holiday season was fun, not to mention the annual winter dance performance with her dance studio was the highlight of her year.

 

Still, the sense of peace Téa got during autumn just couldn't be matched by any other time of year. Even the hope and new beginnings of spring just couldn't quite match.

 

On this perfect Friday, Téa was walking with Yugi home from school. It was a rare instance of Tea having the evening off from Burger World, her part time (full time headache) job. The gang had decided to meet up at Yugi's place to hang out. Yugi's home being a game shop meant that they were probably going to play some games at some point of their night in. Joey had asked off of study groups until at least October, so it would be their last time in a while for everyone just to hang out and have fun without worry about grades and placement tests.

 

Ryou would be coming over too. He didn't hang out with them all that much, but he was as much a part of the group as anyone else. Téa wasn't that close to him, and he kind of grated on her a bit, but he was creative and funny and it wasn't like she didn't rub the others the wrong way sometimes too, so she took it in stride.

 

They had agreed to all meet up at 5:00 pm, so Yugi and Téa spent some extra time getting the kitchen and Yugi's bedroom cleaned up and ready for the influx of guests that would be arriving soon. Yugi's mother would be working late, but she had bought some frozen pizzas and bottles of soda earlier in the week, and the other boys would be bringing bags of chips and sweets, so there would be more than enough food for them.

 

At least for an hour.

 

5:00 pm came quicker than either expected, and soon they could hear Yugi's grandfather greeting/nagging Tristan and Joey as they came in through the shop's main entrance downstairs. Ryou arrived not long afterward, carrying an overstuffed bag filled with books, a game board, and little notebooks. Téa could hear the tell-tall jingle of dice knocking about in the bag as well.

 

_Oh boy._

 

“Just thought since those two over there are still banned from Game Club,” Ryou jerked his head unnecessarily at Joey and Tristan who were pretending to look innocent, “we could have a proper D&D campaign here instead. What do you guys say?”

 

“Well,” Yugi started, “since you've already brought everything with you-”

 

Ryou dropped the bag of the floor and clapped his hands. “Then it's settled!”

 

“Hey!” Joey cut in, “I thought we were going to watch a movie tonight!”

 

“We can always watch one later, we don't get the chance to play a proper campaign that much and it's not like you don't get super into it.”

 

“Just try not to break anything this time around.” Téa smirked. She had heard enough stories about what happened last year to be glad that most of their meet-ups were at Yugi's and not her own home.

 

Tristan scratched the back of his head and groaned. “We've apologized like a dozen times, at some point you guys are just going to have to let it go.” He looked over at Ryou. “And we promise to be super, extra careful with your figurines this time.”

 

Joey raised two fingers to his temple in a mock salute. “Scout's honor.”

 

“Like the boy scouts would even let you join.” Téa snorted. Joey's grin dropped for a moment before he scowled back at her. “Like I'd want to spend my weekends camping in the woods with the bugs and bears and bugbears when I could be camped out playing video games at Tristan's.”

 

“Exactly Téa.” Tristan chimed in. “We have _technology_ now.”

 

“Well, we have _books_ for today.” Ryou countered, waving his monster manual in Tristan's face.

 

Yugi rolled his eyes at everyone. “Come on guys, less arguing, more setting up. The sooner we finish,” Ryou shot him a dirty look “a _proper_ campaign, we can see what else we want to do. Let's get the table set up.”

 

The friends busied themselves around the kitchen. Joey set out the chips he'd brought, Ryou laid out the game board and supplies on the table, Tristan got everyone's drinks, and Téa and Yugi got the chairs set up around the table.

 

“Yugi, we're going to need another chair.”

 

Yugi looked up, puzzled. “Huh? We already have 5.”

 

“Yeah”, Ryou replied, dividing up the dice. “But Seto doesn't have one.”

 

Just at the mention of the name had Téa's mouth drying up.

 

_There was no way…._

 

“What, that Kaiba girl's gonna be here today? I don't remember anyone mentioning that.” Joey didn't sound too enthused about the idea, and neither did Téa.

 

Ryou pouted for a moment, before giving Yugi a weird look. “Yugi, Wednesday, remember? At the last club meeting, we asked Seto if she wanted to come hang out on Friday. You know, today Friday. This day. Now.”

 

All eyes were on Yugi now. Téa felt an uneasy nagging in the pit of her stomach as Yugi's eye's widened in realization.

 

_Shit_.

 

“Oh, crap, we did, didn't we?”

 

“Hey, Yugi, kiss your mother with that mouth?” Tristan halfheartedly teased. The air in the room suddenly felt a little heavy and awkward.

 

“Um, yeah, we did. I thought it was kind of a big deal since it's usually only the five of us hanging out. I didn't think you'd forget something like that.”

 

Yugi's face was scrunched up in a look that seemed a lot like guilt. Téa felt annoyed that this whole this was even happening.

 

“Wait, I remember now! I asked and she said that she might be busy after school. She probably won't be able to come!”

 

Ryou gave him another long-suffering look, like a weary kindergarten teacher trying to encourage a child not to keep eating their crayons. “Yes to the first half. She said she'd be busy after school and asked you what time we'd be meeting up. We said 5:00 pm, _she_ said she might be a little late, but she was probably going to come.”

 

Téa couldn't help but pull a bit of a face, and looked around the room. Judging by everyone's faces, no one else seemed really happy about the news of Seto's (mostly) unexpected impending arrival. Ryou seemed more annoyed at Yugi than anything, though, and Téa thought that that was particularly unfair. If he had thought it was a big deal, shouldn't he have mentioned it to the rest of them _before?_

 

“Yugi?”

 

Everyone turned towards the stairs. Just before the top of the staircase, Yugi's grandpa was peering at them, looking a bit concerned. Yugi moved over towards him, his fingers fiddling with the cuffs of his sweater. “What is it, Grandpa?”

 

Solomon Muto gently jerked his head behind him. “There's a young lady downstairs who's asking for you. Did you invite a new friend over today? You usually tell me these things, you know.” He pulled a face, leaning against the wall. “To think, you'd treat an old man like this. I'd expect this from your mother, but not you.”

 

Yugi gave him a shaky smile. “Sorry, there was kind of a mix-up. She's from school, I'll go down and bring her up.” Casting an apologetic look over his shoulder at the rest of his friends, he eased past his grandpa, hurrying down the stairs. Once Yugi was down at the shop level, his grandpa gave the group a conspiratorial look.

 

“Did Yugi really invite some one else over? I've never seen a girl that professional looking in my life. Does she really go to school with the lot of you, or is she a teacher in disguise?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.” Téa huffed out, and ignored the look that Ryou sent her way.

 

“Come on.” Tristan whispered. They could already hear muffled voices from downstairs. “Let's make the most of this, you're acting like this a funeral or something.”

 

“Or something.” Joey whispered back. They could already hear Yugi stomping up the steps, a not-too-subtle reminder that he and their new ' _friend_ ' were making their way upstairs and to stop any gossip, please.

 

“And here's everyone else. It's really great that you were able to make it today.” Yugi's voice didn't have it's usual cheerfulness that he was known for, but he was clearly trying his best. He stepped into the kitchen a little hesitantly, Seto only a few steps behind him. She had changed out of her school clothes, with pressed slacks and a collared shirt/blazer combo at odds with the jeans and t-shirts most of them were sporting. She had a briefcase in her hand, and looked extremely out of place. Téa wished that the other girl hadn't bothered to come.

 

There was an awkward moment of silence, Seto looking at the group, the group looking back at Seto. Téa was beginning to think that she'd been mistaken in thinking that she was lucky in getting the evening off that day.

 

“WELL.” Yugi's grandpa cleared his throat loudly. “It's so nice to see so many young people! I hope you kids have lots of fun, I'll be downstairs doing inventory, Yugi, your mom will be home soon, and if you need something you'll know where to find me.” With a cheery smile at odds with the mood of the room, he made his retreat back down the stairs, eager to leave himself out of whatever little teenage drama his grandson had manufactured for himself.

 

Another moment of silence passed.

 

“Well, as much fun as standing around the kitchen looking at each other is, I think it's time we get our first game of the night underway. You said that you haven't played Dungeons and Dragons before, right Seto?”

 

Ryou seemed to have the uncanny ability to make regular scenes awkward, and awkward scenes awkwarder, but at least the silence had been broken. Bodies started to move about again, everyone taking their seats as Yugi headed to his room to grab an extra chair for himself.

 

“No, I haven't.” Seto said primly. If Téa had been feeling more generous, she would have noted the aura of obvious discomfort coming off of the other girl.

 

“Well, don't worry, most everyone here has only played a few times, it'll be easy enough to get the hang of it once we get started. Have you met everyone here yet?”

 

Seto's eyes shifted over to Téa briefly before moving back to Ryou. “Somewhat.”

 

“Well! Let's not be shy then!” How Ryou could keep up this cheery facade was anyone's guess. “Everyone! This is Seto! She's in the Game Club with us. Show her what you learned in public schools and say ' _hello_ '.”

 

Tristan made a short wave. “Hi, I'm Tristan. We have gym together, I think.”

 

Seto nodded brusquely, and he jerked his thumb over at Joey. “That's Joey, he's in our class too.”

 

“What's up.” Joey ducked his head a bit in what passed for a greeting.

 

“And you already know Yugi and I from the club.” Ryou prattled on, and much to Téa's horror pointed over at her. “And that's Téa! You know each other, don't you?”

 

Seto's blank face implied otherwise, and Téa could feel her irritation rising. Still, she remembered Ms Valentine's advice. Since she couldn't avoid, deal it would be.

 

“Nice to see you.” Téa sounded pleasant enough to her own ears. “I didn't realize you liked games so much.”

 

“I don't.” was the blunt reply.

 

Ryou let out a little laugh. “That's right, she doesn't like games. She only likes strategy. Which makes tonight perfect for anyone.” He waved his hand in a flourish over the game books. “A place where strategy and luck collide, with everything determined by the roll of a die.”

 

“You can save some of that showboating for the actual game, you know.” Yugi was finally back, pulling the chair from his desk behind him as he brought it over to the table. It was a tight squeeze, but all six chairs managed to fit.

 

Yugi sat on Téa's left, with Joey on her right. After him was Tristan, then Ryou. Seto was in between Ryou and Yugi. Yugi looked a little uneasy sitting between the two girls. The uncomfortable atmosphere from before had returned, and Ryou's antics only did so much to alleviate it.

 

He had already passed out little notepads and pencils to everyone, while Yugi had handed everyone a character sheet to start filling out. The main group already had their preferred characters in mind, and Yugi and Ryou took turns helping Seto out with her own.

 

Téa was finished with her half-elven druid long before Seto (and Joey and Tristan, to be fair) were. As smart as rich girl apparently was, she hadn't bothered investing much in an imagination.

 

A frustrated Seto ended up letting Ryou pick most of her character choices, and by the time everyone was finished it didn't seem like anyone was particularly excited to play. Nonetheless, host and DM persisted on.

 

As they slowly began to play and take their rolls, apparently some people couldn't handle not addressing the elephant in the room.

 

“So,” Joey began slowly. “Do you like being at Domino so far?”

 

Seto looked up from her character sheet that she had been frowning at, and took a couple of seconds to respond. “It's adequate for the time being.”

 

Téa wondered if that was rich girl ' _attempting_ ' to answer nicely. It still sounded snobby as heck.

 

Joey tried a different approach. “How is it compared to your old school? Everyone here except Ryou and Téa have been here since we were in kindergarten.” Téa shot him an annoyed look through her lashes. “How does the rest of the world live?”

 

It seemed that Joey felt it was his turn to try to reach out to the ice princess. Yugi must have been rubbing off on him, Téa thought.

 

The other girl shrugged. “It's smaller, there isn't a formal uniform, and there's a lower selection of upper level classes. That's about it.”

 

A slightly longer answer, and spoken in the same 'friendly' tone as the first answer she gave.

 

“But you came from _Princeton_ Academy.” Téa could feel the name of the school leave a slightly bitter taste in her mouth. “That's not the kind of school you just transfer out of to a public school.”

 

“Téa...” Yugi said cautiously, but she kept going on. It seemed like she couldn't stop. “Why are you even here?”

 

She meant ' _here at this school_ ', but she couldn't deny a flavor of 'h _ere tonight_ ' in the question/borderline accusation.

 

Seto fixed her with an icy look. “I thought this was a game night. I didn't realize it was an interrogation.”

 

“Now, come on everyone,” Tristan interrupted. “We're just playing, trying to get to know each other, it's all cool. It's your roll anyways, Téa.”

 

Téa and Seto glared at each other over Yugi a little longer, but Téa dropped her look to take her turn.

 

She wasn't trying to start a fight or anything. It just felt wrong that they should all sit there with rich girl acting like she was better than all of them. Now that senior year was looming over their heads, they didn't have as many times to hang out together as a group than before, and it wasn't fair that one of the few times they could they had to entertain an ungrateful guest like this.

 

“Not to get all twenty questions on you or anything,” Tristan asked, trying to sound nonchalant, “but you seem more dressed up than usual, and you usually dress like you're supposed to be at a business meeting or something. Is that it, you running a business on the side?” He finished off with a laugh.

 

Surprisingly, Seto looked thoughtful for a second, as if actually considering how she was going to answer. Her actually response held the same tone as before though. “No. I don't.”

 

And back down to short answers again.

 

“I hate it if we had to wear uniforms. It'd feel so weird dressing like everyone else everyday.” Ryou added.

 

“Might actually help Joey out. Maybe he wouldn't be rushing so much in the morning if he had one less thing to worry about.” Teased Yugi.

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Joey took the teasing in turn. “Some of us don't feel like getting up at 5 just to get our hair ready in the morning. And what do you have against sleep anyways?”

 

The mood of the room got lighter as the direction of the conversation changed. A short while later, Ryou looked over at Seto.

 

“Are you really sure you don't run a company?”

 

“Positive.”

 

“All right.” Ryou shrugged casually. “You just seem to have a face for it.”

 

' _Yeah_ ', Téa thought. ' _she_ does _look like she'd be a corporate goon._ '

 

“Yeah you remind me of this guy-not that you look like a guy or anything!” Tristan backpedaled. To her credit, the look Seto gave him was more dry than acidic.

 

They went back to playing, and further they got along in their campaign, the more fun Téa had. She was having an uncharacteristic lucky streak going, much to Joey's chagrin. He couldn’t roll a critical hit to save his life. Table top games weren't her favorites, but she couldn't help but feel herself getting into the story. She had to hand it to him, but Ryou had a knack for storytelling.

 

After traveling through the abandoned town, they (along with the goat Yugi had managed to get to join their team) were heading through the graveyard to the north. Ryou was having a delightful time creeping the hell out of Joey, ' _accidentally_ ' letting Joey encounter more zombies trying to pull his warrior into their graves than the rest of them.

 

Yugi looked up like he had a mini revelation. “Oh, I remember what you said on Wednesday, Seto. How did it go?”

 

_Sigh_. Did all of the conversations have to keep coming back to the one person who didn't want to say anything?

 

“Oh, the conference? It went fine.”

 

“Ha!” Joey slapped his hand on the table, rattling the figurines and cups. “So you _are_ some business suit or something!”

 

Again, that sour look. “No. It was a conference at my little brother's school. It finished early so I came here.”

 

“Wait, so you got a little brother then? I haven't seen anyone else at school that looks like you, how old is he?” Joey suddenly looked interested now, being an older sibling himself. Téa had met his little sister Serenity dozens of times, and each time he had doted on her.

 

Seto let out a deep breath that seemed to come all of the way from her toes. It seemed like the new topic of conversation was making her even more uncomfortable. “He's 11, and still in middle school.”

 

“Does he like games too?” Yugi asked. “You could have brought him here if you were just coming from his school, there's lots of games downstairs that he might've liked to check out.”

 

Seto shook her head. “He is at a sleepover with some of his classmates. The conference was just with the teachers.”

 

There was something missing though. “So why did you have to go then?” Téa asked. “Shouldn't your parents have gone instead?”

 

Téa could see red flags going up even as she asked the question. Instead of glaring at her like before, Seto kept her gaze somewhere over Téa's shoulder. Her posture became stiffer, like she was turning to stone in front of her eyes. “That wouldn't have been possible. Our parents are dead.”

 

Téa wanted to wince. The room temperature seemed to drop at least ten degrees. How was she supposed to know that she was stepping on a landmine like that?

 

Yugi was the first to recover. “I'm sorry to hear that, Seto. Are you and your brother doing okay?”

 

Seto made a 'humph' in assertion. “Yes. It was years ago, we're fine.”

 

The game seemed forgotten temporarily as everyone seemed more focused on sitting around uncomfortably. Yugi leaned on the table with his elbows, hunched over like he was embarrassed on how things were turning out. Ryou was busy fingering his figurine and not looking at anyone. Joey and Tristan leaned back in their chairs, and Seto kept her same rigid posture that all but screamed _'I would rather be anywhere other than here'_.

 

“So what, have you two been living by yourselves or something?” Téa could hear the words coming out of her mouth like they belonged to someone else. Yugi shoot her a look that she ignored. If ice princess was going to act like this all was nothing, shouldn't she too?

 

Seto's stance loosened a bit so she could give her a withering glare. “No. We live with our,” she swallowed, like saying the next words was difficult. “We live with our older brother.”

 

“Really now?” Téa was on a _roll_. “Couldn't your brother have gone to the conference instead? Like, seriously, what middle school teacher wants to talk to some high schooler about important stuff?”

 

“He was busy and he couldn't go.” Seto said through gritted teeth. Yugi was sending her looks pleading with her just to _drop it,_ but she just couldn't.

 

“Really?” she said with false innocence. “Why was he so busy that he couldn't go to his own little brother's parent-teacher conference?”

 

Seto was fuming now, the icy exterior all but gone. “He had a meeting that came up.”

 

“What kind of meeting?”

 

“Téa, just stop!”

 

The girls ignored Tristan. It seemed like everything outside of each other didn't exist, with a furious Seto barely holding on to her self control and Téa not having any at all.

 

“A business one.” Seto snapped.

 

“Wow, that must suck that he can't spend more time with you two. Doesn't he spend any time with just you? Aren't you lonely?”

 

A screeching sound rang through the kitchen as Seto stood up, the legs of her chair scraping the tiles on the kitchen floor.

 

There was one more glare filled loathing aimed at Téa, and then she looked down at Yugi.

 

“Coming here was a mistake.”

 

Leaving her papers on the table, she grabbed her briefcase, and without a backwards look at the others made her way down the stairs. Yugi was up on his feet, a stricken look on his face as he followed, calling after her. The rest of them could hear the brief sound of voices before hearing the front door open and shut. Seto didn't even bother to slam the door, and there was just silence in her wake.

 

Téa felt like her nerves were on fire. She didn't now where most of that had came from.

 

Did she like Seto? No.

 

Did she hate her? For being rich and stuck up, yes.

 

Did she want to hurt her?

 

Téa didn't have an answer to that, even if that was exactly what she had tried to do just minutes before.

 

She couldn't look at the other three, though she knew they were staring at her. She, Téa Gardner, the group over-achiever, the #1 cheerleader, the responsible one. Téa just stared at the pencil in her hand, and breathed the suffocating air in the room in and out.

 

In and out.

 

Yugi still hadn't come back up the stairs.

 

“Are you satisfied now, Téa?” Ryou's voice was quiet and matter of fact.

 

Was she?

 

“You know, I'm not actually having any fun right now, I think I'll go home.” Téa stood up, shoving some of her things back into her bag without looking at anyone.

 

“Okay. See you on Monday.” Joey's voice was listless. It made her want to throw her bag, the board, anything at him.

 

It seemed that Tristan didn't have anything to say, and that was just fine with her. She shoved her bag over her shoulder, and stomped her way down the stairs. Yugi was still in the front, in the shop area: his grandfather had come out of the basement and was talking quietly with him. Yugi's shoulders were hunched over, and his grandpa had a hand gently resting on his shoulder.

 

Téa felt another ugly feeling rise up in her gut, and instead of letting it come out again she made her way to the back exit, letting the door slam carelessly behind her as she got on her bike and pedaled home. She tried not to think about anything as the houses blurred past her, and if her eyes were stinging, it was just because she was pedaling too fast.

 

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Seto had been in no mood for Yugi's pleas to stay. It had been a mistake in coming there. The rest of them were friends, and to come to such a place uninvited was a wrong on her part. Sure, an invitation had been extended, but it must have been one given out of obligation, and failing to understand such a basic social act filled Seto with humiliation.

 

And anger.

 

Lots of anger.

 

She hadn't given her driver an exact time for when to pick her up from the game shop, assuming that after an obligatory hour or two she'd be leaving that place, hopefully free from any more of Yugi's nagging for her to join him and his friends for lunch.

 

It didn't look liked she'd have to worry about being invited anymore.

 

The shoes she was wearing (Italian, dyed leather, a gift from Mokuba) were too good to be scuffing on the dirty sidewalk, but she felt like she couldn't stop moving. She had pulled her cellphone out (a ' _gift_ ' from Noah, mainly to keep tabs on her) twice since she left the shop, and each time shoved it back into her pocket. She didn't even want to stop and wait for a driver to show up; she felt so tired that if she stood still for even a moment, she wouldn't want to get up again.

 

And she had someplace she needed to be.

 

It was 25 minutes by car, but it would be almost two hours by walking: she needed the time to think.

 

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Noah Kaiba was a busy man, but that didn't mean that he didn't try to make time for his little sister and brother. He always made sure to spend as much time as possible with them. He couldn't always, like today and the emergency meeting that came up with one of their suppliers, but he always tried.

 

Mokuba was easy enough to please. A bubbly, happy twelve year old, he had the uncanny knack of taking everything in stride. If he was happy, he let you know it. If he was upset, he let you know that too. He was big on imagination, and didn't have time to spend on grudges. The time Noah spent with Mokuba always felt therapeutic.

 

He was proud to be able to provide a comfortable and privileged life for his sister and brother.

 

And that pride was always put to the test by Seto.

 

Still, it was a test he had willingly signed up for all those years ago, and he couldn't help to hope that maybe, just maybe, this would be the year. That this would be the year that the he finally learned how to connect with his little sister. That he could finally reach her with his love.

 

Until then...

 

It was another Friday night at the office. He was neck deep in paperwork, reviewing and signing off on all of the legal work associated with another new business product. While not likely to cash in on the holiday shopping season, the new line of KC tablets to be used in hospitals nationwide was rapidly reaching the point where it could finally be on the market. Not as flashy as some of the other holiday releases, but it had the potential to integrate different hospital systems and make patients' information a lot easier to access. It could be a breakthrough in the field, or it could be just another snazzed up piece of tech that would be obsolete in another year. It was his job to make sure it was the former.

 

He was still signing away when his secretary buzzed him. He had answered, expecting updates from another supplier, when of all things his secretary informed him that his little sister was in the building and that she need to see him NOW.

 

For a moment, Noah felt his heart stop. Seto? Here? He checked his personal cellphone before answering back, but there was nothing. No calls, no text messages, nothing to herald her impending arrival.

 

He felt a sense of dread flow over him that he tried to shake off. They had long since had an ' _understanding_ ' that as long as Seto was in school (not to mention underage), that she would have no official position or duties at Kaiba Corp. His custodianship of his siblings was precarious enough, the last thing he needed was an overzealous caseworker accusing him of using his sister for a profit.

 

Because of that, Seto rarely spent time at Kaiba Corp, more likely to be found pouring over equipment manuals and analyzing stock data at home. Mokuba himself rarely came anymore now that he was older and spending more time with his friends. That something happened that would bring her here unannounced couldn't possibly bode well.

 

 

What had happened to his baby sister? If it was a school emergency, surely one of the imbeciles in the office would have contacted already. If not that, then what could it be? His sister never came to him with tales of personal troubles like their little brother did. Half the times they rode together to take him to school, he had beguiled his older brother with tales about the ever changing social dynamics of his 6th grade class.

 

Noah knew more about the inner workings of Mokuba Kaiba's 6th grade class than he had ever thought he wanted to know. Mokuba's opinions on his teacher's tyranny never ceased to distract him from the real life tyrants he faced in the business world.

 

But Seto....

 

 

He was lucky if she even passed a dozen words to him in a day. Despite all the time and money he spent on security guards, assistants, and easing the willingness of school officials to make concessions for her, there wasn't much he knew about the inner workings of his sister's mind. It was something that nagged at him, like a rotten tooth, one that went sour due to careless neglect.

 

After a moment's pause, he asked his secretary to bring his sister up as soon as possible. To prepare drinks and some snacks too, he didn't know if Seto would be hungry or not. Better to be prepared.

 

The scant minutes from his secretary's message to his sister's arrival in his office had Noah scampering about, moving papers into his desk and making his space seem more acceptable. Who knows what kind of torment was ailing his little sister? There was only one man for the job, and it was him.

 

There was only him.

 

There was a knock on the door, and before he could muster out a 'Come in', the doors leading to his office were shoved open. In stepped in younger sister, his secretary just paces behind her wearing a face full of fret and worry. Seto's face was as stony as ever, and she ignored the other woman as she made her way towards her adoptive brother. Noah kept his face stretched into what he hoped was a warm, welcoming smile.

 

"Seto, what a surprise! I didn't know you'd be visiting today, how are you?"

 

Seto's face didn't even so much as twitch. She sat herself down in one of the chairs seated in front of his desk, placing her suitcase at her feet, eyes watching him with a touch of irritation. He noticed that her shoes (the latest set from Mokuba) seemed worse for wear. He kept smiling, and turned quickly to his secretary.

 

"Shelly, thank you so much! If you could close your doors on the way out, that would be just splendid." Sending a quick look at his sister, the woman nodded before putting a tight smile on her own face, backing out of the room and closing the doors silently.

 

Then, it was just the two of them.

 

He made his way over to his desk, and paused. He didn't feel comfortable talking to his little sister from across the wide desk like this was a business proposition. She was family, and he didn't want this conversation, however difficult it would be, to feel even more strained than it needed to. He settled on perching himself on his own desk, his long legs dangling so the tips of his loafers brushed against the thick carpet. He hoped that he looked casual enough.

 

If anything, Seto's stony face shifted to one of hardy disapproval. Biting back a sigh, he carried on.

 

"Did something happen today at school, Seto? Is there something that you need? I called to check in with Mokuba's teacher after you're meeting, so I thought everything was fine over there. Let me know what is the matter, I'm all ears."

 

Silence. He waited patiently for an answer, his hands gently shifting him ever so slightly side to side. This really wasn't the most comfortable position to wait in.

 

The look on Seto's face was most serious. He wasn't sure what could have happened at school to earn that. Her classes would have finished some hours ago too. After a few more moments, it seemed that she had collected herself enough.

 

 

“I have decided that attending the school at which I am currently enrolled is a misuse of my time and mental resources, and I am to no longer be enrolled at Domino High School. I am willing to work with you,” her voice tripped for a moment over the last word, “to make arrangements for private instruction that would be sufficient to finish my formal schooling. I feel this is a reasonable request."

 

He felt himself sag a little bit.

 

_'Of course...'_

 

He wondered how long it would take to have this conversation again.

 

He raised one of his hands to his neck, letting his fingers work their way through the short hairs that gathered at his nape. It was one of his more obvious tells and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. He needed the little comfort gesture to get him through his conversation.

 

"Seto...." he started, keeping his voice in a warm but neutral tone. "I know you remember our past conversations about this subject. And I know you remember how those past conversations went."

 

Her face got a pinched look, the irritation mounting in her eyes. He went on.

 

"I know that you're an exceptionally bright young woman, and it would be hard to find any school with a core academic program that would even come close to challenging you. You know that, right?"

 

Again, no response. He went on.

 

"Seto." He looked her in the eyes. "You know your placement in this school has nothing to do with academics."

 

"If I know I can't be challenged, then there isn't a point at all." She countered.

 

He raised up his other hand. "I never said there wasn't a challenge. Academic work isn't the challenge I'm talking about. And it wouldn't be the main reason you are there anyways.”

 

Her face darkened. This conversation had to potential to head towards some very unhappy and unpleasant memories for the both of them, and it was his job to navigate them away from those. Anger or passion wouldn't solve any problems that day.

 

"I know we haven't talked a lot yet about, _certain_ _events_ -"

 

"Because there's no need to," she spat out. "The past is in the past."

 

He nodded at that. "True, Seto. The past _is_ in the past. There isn't much we can do to change certain things. The only thing we have the potential to change is the future. And part of the future that I see for you is at Domino High School, where you will remain as a student."

 

Her face twisted, before her lips curled into a snarl.

 

 

"I don't see what is so unreasonable about my proposal." Only years of self discipline and restraint when it came to dealing with him kept her tone steady. Still, anger leaked into her voice, her shoulders square and tense as waves of loathing swept off of her. "We both know that I only have one possible career path in the future, and it is with this company. Why should I spend the remaining years of my secondary education in a sub-par, mediocre establishment instead of focusing directly on how to best become a leading asset to this company? There isn't any logic to your argument."

 

"And as I said," Noah countered calmly, picking his steps delicately around this mine field, "your placement in this school has little to do with academic challenges and more to do with learning beyond that of a classroom."

 

Contempt was clear on her face. "Repeating that doesn't make it any less nonsensical. Are you expecting me to learn from a school where even you admit that I cannot learn from classroom instruction?"

 

And he couldn't tell if she was deliberately missing the point, or if, even more terrifyingly, she really couldn't understand what point he was trying to make. The point he had been trying to make for the past six years.

 

"Seto, you can come up with all of the counter arguments and proposals that you want, and I will listen to each and every one of them that you bring to me, but I can assure you now that whether today or nine months from now, my answer will be the same. You will remain at Domino High School for the remainder of your secondary education. Your personal distaste will not change my answer.'

 

"Now" he leaned back a bit, trying to get a little more comfortable and mostly failing, "if there is anything else you would like to discuss or talk about, I would be happy to listen to you. You know that I am always here for you."

 

He could feel himself holding his breath as he looked at her. He wasn't quite sure what he should expect. Yelling? Shrieks of indignation? Perhaps different pieces of furniture being thrown at him as his sister declared him a tyrant and unfair?

 

If he had expected a show of passion by his little sister, he was in to be disappointed.

 

She remained in her chair, her nails not embedding themselves into the chair's armrests, just digging into her palms enough to show that she was holding herself back. Years of practice and resentment stopped her from throwing a tantrum in his presence, as if showing even a thread of emotion in front of him was to surrender her pride to an unworthy opponent.

 

And since when did he become her enemy?

 

_'Gozaburo would've been proud.'_

 

He swallowed thickly at that thought, and was pulled out of that line of thought when she finally deigned to speak again.

 

"I don't understand," she started, her tone dead and even and far too old to be used by a teenager, "why you won't grant me this one thing. It is not so unreasonable. I just, I,” a shaky breath that he would have missed if he wasn't paying attention, “I don't want to be there. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever again.”

 

“And I'm sorry Seto, but there's nothing I can do to change that.”

 

'Don't pretend that you don't have enough-”

 

“Money doesn't solve everything, Seto.” He admonished her lightly. “And power doesn't ensure that you can always get your own way. If we were having this conversation a year ago maybe things would have been different. Maybe we could have-”

 

She stood up, hands clenched to her sides, the briefcase knocking against her knee. “To be honest,” she said thickly, “there have been times that I've had my doubts. About things. About you.” Her eyes were so impossible cold. “But for you to be so determined to get rid of me, to drive me out; could you at least be honest about it?”

 

And with that she pivoted away from him, not bothering with any departing words as she shoved her way through his office doors again, the faint sound of his harried secretary's voice the only thing he could hear other than his sister's harsh footsteps.

 

Left alone, Noah continued to sit on his desk, his feet still dangling above the floor as he could feel a migraine creeping up along his temples.

 

He rubbed his face with his hands, and forced himself to take steady breaths.

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

 

Breathe in, breathe out.

 

He tried to clear his mind and ignore the stinging at the edges of his eyes.

 

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

 

The weekend ended far too soon for Téa. She had spent most of Friday night in her room, ignoring her mother's offer to watch a movie together in favor of staying curled up in her bed. She didn't even pretend to start any of her homework, even if her chemistry class was already kicking her ass so early in the semester.

 

She just tried to sleep, and in failing that, did anything to avoid thinking. Listening to music didn't help either, and even her favorite band couldn't help her feel anything but an ugly, festering ball of something that wasn't at all like guilt roiling in her stomach.

 

Eventually, nature took its course and she finally fell asleep, and luck was on her side as her sleep was dreamless. Saturday was an early shift at Burger World where focusing on work was, for once, an actual form of escape. She had another dance lesson later in the afternoon, and if Ms Valentine noticed anything off about her, she would have chalked it up to start of term stress from school.

 

At home, a message was waiting for her from Yugi, and instead of calling back she feigned cramps and got her mom to call back instead. It was a cowardly move, sure, but the last thing she wanted to deal with was explaining something about herself that she didn't even understand.

 

Sunday was another shift, and she finally cracked open her books to get some work done. By this time she could feel that she was worrying her parents, and made an effort to help her dad get dinner ready and _actually_ sat with them and watched an old movie with them and didn't even complain.

 

Overall, it wasn't a bad weekend, if she ignored the part where she was ignoring her friends on purpose.

 

And then there was Monday.

 

Homeroom passed by uneventful enough, passing the slightest of greetings to Yugi while she resolutely ignored looking for Seto in the room. Lunch would be the next big hurdle, and she dreaded having to face the full firing squad, and for what?

 

If Téa had been looking for the tension she was feeling to come to a breaking point and give her some kind of release, she was in for a disappointment.

 

It was just,

 

nothing.

 

They all still sat together, they all said the same greetings, Joey tried to steal the others' food just the same. Sure, the conversation seemed a little more muted than usual, and she felt more than one sidelong look being aimed at her, but other than that?

 

Nothing.

 

Chemistry was one of her last classes of the day, and she shared the lab with Joey. It wasn't the advanced course aimed for students looking to take the AP exam to get a couple of college credits before graduating, but it still did a hell of a job kicking both of their butts. It just, it just didn't make sense, not like history or literature where you can at least put the puzzle pieces together to understand the story of what happened.

 

Even freshman biology was waves easier to get, at least at the conceptional level. Organs in a body, ecosystems, things she could put a face or picture to and just understand it. Chemistry had so much memorization and numbers and it couldn't engage her enough to actually 'get it'. It was like cruising through algebra and geometry, and then going into calculus and running smack into a wall.

 

The only reason why she was even there was because it was a mandatory class for graduation, and if Téa was going to be able to take on extra shifts at work to save up for college, she didn't want any mandatory summer school make-up classes getting in her way.

 

Gone were the days in biology where at least the monotony of class would have been broken up by the eventual trials and tribulations of the dissection unit (Téa had been partners with Joey then too, and had been the one to do the actual cutting while Joey contributed by throwing up on the teacher's shoes). Now, partner quizzes on different formulas that made her brain feel like mush were the best the class could hope for. And almost any other day a partner quiz would have been a blessing, but as Téa sat next to Joey, erasing yet another formula set that she had screwed up on, it didn't much feel like one.

 

If he was extra cool during lunch, it was because he didn't want to have any extra reserves for later on. The usual smirks and jokes and complaints about the class were noticeably absent, and there was something about the tone of voice he used to talk about problems on the test that made her want to grit her teeth.

 

She finally couldn't take it.

 

“Is there something you want to say to me Joey? Just say it.” She hissed at him as the rest of the class was finishing up their tests. They were barely half way through theirs and it was a lost cause anyways.

 

“I dunno, Téa.” Scratched the side of his head with his pencil before writing down another answer, eyes cast down on the paper. “I think there's been an awful lot of talking already. Not so much between you and Yugi, though. Is there a reason you were ignoring him?”

 

“I wasn't feeling well after dance practice and I had my mom call him back. It wasn't a big deal.”

 

“Hmm.” Joey was still being irritating. “He kind of thought it was a big deal. Did you ever think about that? How Yugi felt?”

 

“It was just a phone call, Joey. I saw him today, we're fine.”

 

“Really?” He shot her a wide eyed look of surprise. “Because Yugi didn't seem as much upset about you missing a call as he was with that fucking stunt you pulled on Friday.”

 

“Oh shut up.” She snapped. “Stop acting like you so torn up about it.”

 

“I'm a little torn up over how Yugi's torn up about it. Would it have been that hard, you know? Just acting like your regular self for an hour or two?”

 

“Look, I didn't mean to make a scene at Yugi's place. Things just happened, I didn't think she'd get all huffy and leave like that.” Téa wasn't even paying attention anymore to what they were writing, they only had a few more minutes until they had to hand the test in, and some points were better than none.

 

“Téa, look at me.” She ignored him, pencil scratching more answers. She didn’t look up until she felt his rough fingers touching the back of her hand. “Téa, please.”

 

Letting out a steadying breath, she looked up at him.

 

“What's going on, Téa? Why is this driving you crazy like this?”

 

“I'm not going crazy, thanks for the concern.”

 

“Come on Téa, be honest with me.” It wasn't the time or place for their hushed conversation, but Joey wasn't going to stop now that he actually had his thoughts in order. “We've been friends for ages, since I was an asshole and you helped beat it out of me. If there's something going on, you gotta let me know so I can help.”

 

“And I don't need your help, Joey, because there's nothing going on.”

 

“You ruined a game night at Yugi's place because there was a girl you didn’t like there, and I'm supposed to believe that nothing's going on?” His voice got softer. “Téa, what did that lonely nerd ever do to you?”

 

And she could tell him a lot of things.

 

She could tell him that while he was busy making a dash to his first period class, Téa was being humiliated by a girl who couldn't even take a greeting without being a bitch about it. She could tell him that she didn't trust her around Yugi and his too plentiful forgiveness. She could tell him that she was rude and bitchy and ungrateful and rich and the antithesis of everything Téa ever identified herself as.

 

She could tell him that she made her feel small.

 

That even with the support of her friends and a mother and father who loved her so much, Téa was scared about the future and seeing someone who seemed to have everything blow her off so easily made her feel like she just couldn't make it.

 

She wanted to tell him a number of things, but none of them made it past her firmly pressed lips.

 

She huffed out a breath. “It's fine, Joey. I screwed up. I know it, I'm going to try to just, push this out of my system.”

 

“Really?”

 

She humphed at him, and pushed his long blond bangs out of his face so they could see each other eye to eye. “ _Really_ really. Honest.”

 

He smiled at her. “That's great. Now lets hand this bomb in so we can give Mr Hendricks a heart attack when he grades it.” They both push their chairs back, and join the rest of their classmates in handing in their tests, and for the first time in a while Téa felt a weight off of her chest.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“Why'd you skip classes today?”

 

A long history of Noah sneaking around every corner kept Seto from jumping at the voice suddenly in her ear, but it still startled her. She tried to hide it by putting back one of the books she had been skimming, taking another one with her as she moved down the aisle.

 

Still, Ryou persisted.

 

“Not that I'm judging you or anything, because I'm not. But it's pretty weird to skip classes and then lurk around the library after school. Like, are you bad at breaking rules and this is just you taking baby steps? I just want to understand.”

 

“We're in a library, you know.” She hissed over her shoulder. She looked over to where the librarian was, still stationed at her desk and unaware of the commotion going on.

 

“Oh, I know. I go to this school and I'm familiar with some of it's offerings.”

 

“Then stop talking to me.”

 

“Oh,” he jerked his thumb over at the librarian. “She doesn't care that we're talking, as long as we're not tossing around the books or looking up porn on the computers, neither of which we're doing. She's got her headphones on, she's fine. We'll just whisper loud.”

 

Exasperated, she turned around to face him. “Does no one at this school care about the principle of things?”

 

He gave her a cheerful grin. “Not when I don't feel like it. So, tell me, why are you hiding here and not at the club meeting? It's Monday, you know. And after school.”He made a twirling gesture with his fingers. “Meeting time.”

 

He seemed persistent, and Seto quietly lamented the loss of her brief period of peace. Looking around the near deserted library, she made her way over to an empty table that sat farthest from the librarian's station. Ryou followed, with even his damn steps seeming cheery. It was only his eyes that didn't quite match the happy set.

 

“So? Gonna tell me why?”

 

“How about you tell me why _you_ aren't at the meeting today?” She countered.

 

“Oh, I am. Or was, and will be again. I told Yugi that I was gonna go to the bathroom to take care of ‘serious business’ and I didn’t know if I’d ever make it back. I decided to wander around a bit instead. Lucky, huh?”

 

Seto's noise scrunched up in distaste. “You know you're disgusting.”

 

“Funny, that's what Yugi said too! Speaking of Yugi, he's really torn up about last Friday, and I wanted to apologize. Not for Yugi, but,” he shrugged his shoulders, “you know. Téa.”

 

As if that morning hadn't been headache enough. “I don't want to talk about this.”

 

“The whole ' _skipping-class-and-hiding-in-the-library_ ' routine kinda gave me that hint, but I don't think it's a good idea. That's why I'm here.” He leaned closer and spoke in an exaggerated stage whisper. “I didn't actually have to go to the bathroom.”

 

“Well, I didn't actually skip classes. So go away.”

 

“Look, Seto. Miss Kaiba. You royal crankiness, give me a minute.” He raised up his hand. “No, wait, two. Five. I didn't rehearse any of this, I don't know what time frame to tell you, just that I'm going to try and get to the point quick.”

 

“Which you're doing so well.” Seto said with a sneer.

 

“Ah, sarcasm! That's a good sign, I'll take it as a yes, so please just hear me out and I promise not to run out of here and tell Yugi where you're hiding from him.”

 

Seto's eyes flared. _The little shit._ “You wouldn't dare, and I'm not hiding from him.” She hissed angrily.

 

“A) I would and B) _convince me._ ”

 

This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. She was supposed to go in, wait around for a while until enough time had passed, and then headed out to the main lobby where her driver would be waiting outside. She hadn't told anyone about the Friday incident, and even if she was determined to never set foot in that meeting room again, she didn't know how to suddenly explain to her driver (who would report to Noah) that she was dropping the club.

 

It was better to just lurk around the library and keep up the charade until she thought up a better reason than that her feelings were hurt.

 

Which they weren't.

 

Not really.

 

Letting out an angry breath, Seto leaned forward, steepling her fingers and resting her head against her hands. It had been a long day, and she was tired.

 

“I came here during final period. I...had a meeting this morning so I had to take off time from class. It was a scheduled absence, the school knew about it a weeks ago, it had nothing to do with anyone or anything that happened recently.”

 

Ryou peered at her curiously. “You know, that only makes you seem more like some secret business person. Like some secret identity, except instead of being a superhero you're some secret business person who does secret business stuff, like suing tiny companies and rolling around in money. I don't actually know what business people do, but I'm assuming it's something like Scrooge McDuck.”

 

“You're an idiot.”

 

“Another thing you and Yugi agree on! Why are you hiding from him?”

 

“I am not. I'm no longer going to the Game Club meetings, consider this my resignation.”

 

He cocked his head to the side. “That's kind of cowardly. You know that.”

 

She sat up straighter, bringing one arm back to wrap loosely around her waist as she left the other one on the table. She leaned back to look at him. “I really don't care what you think. What does it matter to you anyways?”

 

“Because I like you.” She bristled at his words.

 

“That's not-”

 

“I do, you know.” He continued. “As a person. You're awkward and you're smart, and you don't seem like a bad person, and I think it would suck if you stopped hanging out with us because things got weird and shitty with one of our other friends.”

 

Where was all of this coming from? “We're _not_ friends.”

 

He shrugged. “But we could be. Either way, it's fun hanging out with you, even if your taste in games kind of sucks. Which it does.” He reached out and patted the back of her hand, which she quickly drew back. “But I don't hold that against you.”

 

She looked down at her watch. Her driver would be showing up soon, and she wanted to wrap things up quickly. “That's nice and all, this whole ' _friend_ ' thing, but we aren't and it's for the best. I don't know what your ' _friend's_ ' problem is-”

 

“She has a name and it's Téa.”

 

She scoffed and went on. “-but I don't care to be a part of it. Let's just, pretend that none of this ever happened and go on to being just classmates.”

 

“What kind of meeting was it?”

 

Was it impossible for Ryou to stick to any one line of thinking, or was this some kind of technique for getting her off of her guard. She considered what she wanted to say, and answered back a little warily.

 

“I had a counseling session.”

 

“That had nothing to do with Friday?”

 

She glared at him. “It had _**nothing**_ to do with Friday. It's,” she really didn't want to answer him, “mandatory. It's a part of the agreement with the state for my older brother's guardianship over my little brother and I. Quarterly check-in, nothing to report, it was nothing.”

 

“Do you not like your big brother or something?”

 

“If you want to talk about him now this will be the last conversation we ever have.”

 

“Jeez, jeez, alright.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “I gotta go soon anyways, meeting time's almost over and I'm already stretching Yugi's suspension of disbelief on how long it takes me to shit.”

 

A lesser person would have rolled their eyes. Seto just gives him another glare.

 

“Okay, so I think you're been straight with me, and I appreciate that, I really do. And I'm gonna apologize again, because Yugi shouldn't have to and the one person who probably should isn't going to.”

 

Ryou took a deep breath, and pressed on. “Téa's my friend, and I'm sorry that she did what she did. She's my friend, and I like her. Not a lot, but more than most people, so there's that. She's kinda intense sometimes, but she's a good person, and she really cares about her friends.”

 

Seto didn't want to sit through this. “That's nice, _I don't care._ ”

 

“Well, you kinda should. I don't know why she has such a bug up her ass because of you, but she does. I'd like to think that the Téa I know can get past any weird initial dislike of you. Maybe you guys won't be friends, maybe you'll find good reasons to hate each other, but I'm hoping that things will turn out differently because I like both of you and I think it'd be such a waste for you two to just disregard each other so easily. You don't like her either?”

 

“Are you really asking me that _now_?”

 

“Well, you said that you're feelings weren't hurt, so who knows what's really going on in your head. I'm just saying that it would be a bummer if you two didn't eventually hit it off and do something cool together.” His face lit up. “Or terrible! Who knows what a team-up between you two would be like.” He grinned. “I bet it'd be ruthless.”

 

“I'm so glad that you have such an active imagination and so much free time to maximize its use.” Seto answered dryly.

 

“Better than using it for evil.” He responded brightly, and rose from his seat. “So, that was way over one minute, so thanks for hearing me out.”

 

Seto waved a hand dismissively at him. “Whatever.”

 

Ryou looked around the room. “If you were going to sneak out, now would be a good time. I can distract Yugi for a couple of minutes with trying to tell him of my alleged bathroom exploits. If you hear him screaming at me to stop, you'll know I'm doing a good job.” He gave her a little wave. “See you tomorrow!”

 

And with that he was gone, whisking out of the room while finally getting the librarian's attention. He didn't bother sticking around to get yelled at, and Seto figured she should follow the same example. Taking her book with her to the counter, she got it checked out and quietly made her way to the lobby along a side hallway.

 

She didn't really feel better about anything from the week before, and she knew she'd have to see Noah again tonight, undoubtedly wearing that fake, sad looking guilty face that he always put on when trying to make her feel bad. And she really didn't want to have to deal with Yugi or his merry band of losers.

 

And she didn't want to be friends.

 

Really.

 

But Ryou had point, if anything. If she was really going to quit, she could at least tell Yugi to his face instead of ignoring him like she did when she left the game shop.

 

It was the principle of the matter.

 

She felt a slight smirk pulling at the edge of her lips, and quickly smoothed it down as she went outside to find her driver.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talking out your feelings can really help people understand each other. If only these girls would listen...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breaking news: Teenagers behaving badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fists are thrown, but nobody goes to jail. There's a lot of disappointment to go around, though.

 

 

On Tuesdays, Gym class was the last class before lunchtime. Téa was kind of torn about how she felt about it. On one hand, most of the students' stomachs were already grumbling before class started, and they had to go through whatever inane activities that Coach Howard had in store for them with barely any fuel left in their growing bodies. On the other hand, having gym class after lunch would greatly increase the risk of throwing up the newly eaten lunches due to the aforementioned inane activities.

 

Something everyone found out the hard way in freshmen year. Téa was glad to put that behind her, even if her stamina was above average.

 

The morning had started enough okay. A good breakfast with her mom, a sunny ride to school on her bike, rich girl acting like she didn't exist in homeroom, all in all, not bad.

 

Okay, so things were still a little weird with Yugi, and she was going to have to see rich girl in gym class, but at least Joey and Tristan shared that same crummy class too.

 

She still felt loads better after talking to Joey. They'd been friends ever since the first few times Téa had to take him down a peg (or five) for harassing Yugi back in middle school. It was nice to have someone who just _'got'_ her. They had commiserated over after school jobs that were more for necessity than resume padding, and were always a supporting ear for each other when things got bad.

 

However, at the moment, the only thing that was getting bad was the class.

 

A piercing whistle shrieked across the gym. “Listen up juniors, I don't want to have to explain myself twice.” Coach Howard sounded pissed today, and he was clutching some papers in his hand that looked worse for wear. Looking over at a certain smirking blond and an uneasy looking Tristan, Téa didn't have to guess why.

 

“It has come to my attention, that certain events happened last week when I was at a conference.”

 

“And we missed you, Coach!” Snickers and nervous giggles scattered across the assembled students. Howard just glared harder at Joey, and his grip on the papers in his hand tightened. “According to the substitute teacher's report, she was somehow convinced by some members of this class that we were in the middle of a volleyball unit, and that you students were supposed to be ' _demonstrating the skills learned so far_ ' by playing games all of class time.”

 

He threw the papers on the ground. “You all knew that last week was supposed to be the day that everyone logged their mile run times for the semester. I have been telling you since the beginning of the school year, and the first chance you get you act like a bunch of brats.”

 

“Maybe you shouldn't leave us so often, we were lonely.”

 

Téa wondered how the Joey that talked her down yesterday always turned into such an idiot around the coach.

 

Howard was seething now. “I hope you lot are proud of yourselves. The substitute had to apologize to the principal over your little stunt, and she'll be under review for the rest of the school year.”

 

The smirks from before were slowly melting off of a lot of faces, and at least Joey had the sense to look a little less pleased with himself.

 

Well, she had thought the whole situation had been a little funny. She was a dancer, not a runner, and the track unit was her least favorite part of the curriculum. The only person who hadn't had fun last week was rich girl, who had ended up just sulking along the wall while the substitute had tried to enforce some sense of order in the class.

 

Looking over the group, Coach Howard shook his head. “You kids just don't get it. Hopefully, today, you will. Since we have to make up for last week, everyone GET OUTSIDE NOW.”

 

Téa joined the rest of the group running out of the big double doors leading to the running track.

 

_'And today had started so well.'_

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

Not content with just making the class run the mile and have it over with, Coach Howard ran them _ragged_. Everyone had to run the mile, and once they were finished and had their time recorded, they had to _keep_ running. The whole class had to keep doing laps over and over again around the track course. Anyone who just stopped (or who was busy talking, or who were just _JOEY_ ), had to do push-ups in the middle of the track as everyone else kept running around them.

 

Téa felt dead on her feet, but kept up a slow jog. By near the end of class, everyone was shambling around the course like an exhausted army of undead.

 

Almost everyone.

 

Rich girl was still going at it, running at a slow but steady pace that had her lapping everyone else. Even Tristan, who was reasonable proud of his athletic achievements, was ages behind her. She didn't even seem particularly upset about the whole situation, and looked slightly less sulky than usual.

 

It made Téa want to trip her real bad. Too bad rich girl never got quite near enough to her, with the final insult being that she kept running in the outer lanes and was still making the class look bad. Worse.

 

Not as bad as Joey whose arms finally gave out and was talking back to coach from the ground, face down, but still bad.

 

Finally, the sweet, shrill release of the coach’s whistle marked the end of their group torment. He yelled at them to go change and get ready for their lunch period. She didn't even think that she was going to be able to eat, she'd just sit there bonelessly at the table, trying to will her limbs back into compliance. To think, the one day Joey was probably not going to steal any of her lunch and she didn't even want to eat it.

 

She dragged her hand across her forehead, wiping off some of the gross sweat that she was drenched in. At least it was finally cooling down, she didn't want to think about what it would have been like if they had done it back in September.

 

All Téa wanted to do was take a quick shower and yell at Joey during lunch. If she didn't have the energy for the latter, she could always fling some carrots sticks at his hair. She didn't bother waiting for Tristan to drag Joey up from the grass, she just wanted to be clean, and fast.

 

First mistake.

 

She made her way through the jostling crowd, ignoring the chatter and half-hearted shoves from her fellow winded classmates. Many of them were still grumbling about Coach Howard being a prick, but most were already moving on with their day, talking about class or the upcoming Halloween dance that Téa was only kind of looking forward to. Events were fun, but she usually got paid more on those shifts, and practicality usually won out.

 

By the time she got into the locker room, some of the girls had already showered and were changing back into their regular clothes. Due to the forces of the universe being beyond her control, 'G' was tragically close to 'K' in the alphabet, and Seto's locker was only a few spaces away from hers.

 

She was busy getting ready to take a shower, and she looked considerably less gross than the rest of them after such a crappy class. And it was, weird. Hair tied back from her face, and wearing the lame gym uniform, she looked surprisingly normal even with that face of hers and Téa,

 

just felt tired.

 

_'What's the point of even doing this?'_

 

It was only October, and Téa couldn't see herself having enough energy to keep avoiding the other girl, let alone keep hating her with the passion she'd been feeling. It was taking a lot out of her now, and if she was going to keep slipping up and dragging her friends feelings into it, she'd just rather not.

 

With a resolve she didn't realize she had in her tired body, Téa decided that today, now, she would apologize and make things right with the other girl.

 

Mistake number 2.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Seto was in the process of pulling her shirt off when she felt a tap on the shoulder. She felt a twinge of annoyance ping through her. As much as she liked running (it felt refreshing to shut off her mind for a bit), she wanted to wash the sweat off of herself as soon as possible. That someone felt the need to talk just seemed unreasonable, and there were only so many suspects, and she didn't think it'd be Ryou this time.

 

There would be more screaming if it was, certainly.

 

Pulling her shirt back down, turned and found herself looking into Téa's face.

 

“Um, hey.”

 

Seto turned back to her locker, and felt a hand on her shoulder again.

 

“Hey, I just need to talk to you for a minute. Can we take this to the side?”

 

Seto didn't see why the other girl wouldn't let her just take a shower in peace. If this was some half-assed apology for the last week, she really didn't care to hear it. It's was already out of her mind, she didn't care. Bringing it up again was just going to piss her off, and she'd already lost the sense of peace she had while running.

 

“I'd really rather not.”

 

Téa frowned, but didn't raise to the bait. “I know, but it'll just be a minute and I'm gonna say it anyways. I think you'd prefer this with less people around, wouldn't you?”

 

Seto was going to show up to the next Game Club meeting just so she could smack Ryou in the face for making her even consider this. “Then hurry up.”

 

Téa nodded, and then jerked her head towards the door. Seto moved to follow her. Once they put a little space between them and their classmates, Téa leaned against the wall. Seto just stood in front of her with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

 

Téa ran her fingers through her sweaty hair. “Look, I'm sorry about last week. I don't know what happened, I just, I don't know. It was shitty and I'm sorry about it.”

 

Seto didn't say anything, so Téa decided to go on.

 

“I just want to put this behind us. I want to know if that's okay with you.”

 

“Really? Are you waiting for my permission or something?” Seto answered. “I've already forgotten about it, I don't care.”

 

Téa tamped down on her rising temper. She was trying to do her best. “Yeah, well, it didn't seem like that last week.”

 

“I don't care about last week.”

 

“Well, I care about it. And I care about Yugi too, and I know that I made things uncomfortable for both of you, and I'm sorry.”

 

“And I already told you that I don't care about it. I don't even think about it, so can you stop trying to make yourself feel better about it?”

 

Téa felt a flush going up her neck. “I'm just saying I'm sorry, why do you have to be difficult like this?”

 

“And why do you have to be thick about this? Just stop talking to me.” Seto countered, her tone as dry and unfeeling as ever. Téa could feel all the ugly feelings coming back to her.

 

“You know, it took a lot out of me to come and apologize to you like this, and even now you can't stop being a bitch.”

 

“Wow, you're really trying hard here. If it's all the same to you I want to take a shower and wash this off of me.”

 

She turned again, and Téa grabbed Seto's shoulder one more time.

 

“Don't just walk away from me, just accept my apology and this can be over.”

 

Seto shoved her hand off. “I'm already done with this, and I don't have to do anything for you.”

 

“Oh my god, you are just-” Téa pushed off of the wall, stepping closer to get into Seto's personal space. “Can't you just act like a normal human being for once? I don't get how Yugi can stand being around you.”

 

Seto gave her a long suffering look. “Can you just get off of this whole ' _Yugi-thing_ '? You keep bringing him up like some kind of human shield when you're actually just focusing on yourself.”

 

“Like you even care about anyone else. What did you even do after the game on Friday when you ran out like a bitch?” Téa was aware that their voices were attracting the attention of some of the other girls in the locker room, but she couldn't stop herself.

 

Seto gave her a warning look, and she ignored it. “Did you run home to your big brother, Seto?”

 

“Stop it.” Seto hissed through clenched teeth.

 

“Did you cry because the other kids were being mean to you?”

 

Seto's face didn't just turn red; the skin of her checks got all blotchy and mottled. Her perfect skin was finally looking a little gross, and Téa loved to see it. “Does your big brother have to wipe your ass for you too?”

 

“If you don't fucking shut up, I'll-” Seto warned.

 

“What?” Téa said mockingly. “Is your big brother going to beat me up because no one likes you and it makes you feel sad?”

 

If looks could kill, Téa would've already been dead. Seto's fists were clenched at her sides, her knuckles white with her nails digging into her palms. Her chest heaved lightly, lips pressed together in a thin, bitter line. Everyone was watching now, and Téa could feel herself holding her breath, waiting for what would happen next.

 

And then...

 

Seto let out a breath. The murderous intent in her eyes dimmed, and her hands loosened from fists. Deliberately, and slowly, ever so slowly, Seto turned away from Téa. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t make a sound, and she just walked away from Téa.

 

And Téa can't help but make her last mistake.

 

“Don't fucking turn away from me.”

 

Rushing forward, she shoved at Seto's retreating back. Taken off guard by the cheap shot, Seto stumbled into a group of girls who shriek at the intrusion. Slowly, she turned to face Téa.

 

“That's what I mean, don't-”

 

Téa never finished her sentence as Seto lunged at her, shoving her back into a row of lockers. There were more screams that time but the two girls were in their own world and barely noticed them.

 

Luckily, Téa's shoulders took the brunt of the trip into the lockers, but she could still feel the sting from where the back of her head hit. She winced, and opened her eyes to see Seto pulling back with a fist in the air. Years of dance practices has Téa ducking; Seto wasn’t holding onto her tightly enough with her other hand, so she slipped out of her grasp easily. She was down and under the arm, and heard the satisfying crunch of Seto's fist slamming into the space where her head used to be.

 

Getting behind her, she shoved Seto into the lockers, one of her hands pushing the back of Seto's head so her face was shoved into the dirty metal. It was satisfying for her to feel the other girl struggling under her, at least until Seto managed to free her left arm, her hand reaching over her shoulder and burying itself into Téa's hair. She tangled her fingers into Téa's hair and pulled cruelly, and Téa cried out from the pain. She lost her balance and felt both of them falling to the floor.

 

They ended up falling on their sides, but Seto was quick to drive an elbow back into Téa's stomach. Winded, she rolled over onto her back, only to feel the weight of Seto's knees shoving down on her chest. The taller girl's face is framed by loose straggles of her hair, her blue eyes burning with hate, hate all directed at Téa.

 

The moment of distraction is costly. Téa never even sees the punch, only feels it connect to the left side of her face. It stung like hell, but it woke her up to the reality of the situation. She grabbed Seto's shirt and rolled them over to the side, slamming Seto into the floor. Before the other girl could recover, Téa was already in her face, her hands shoving her head back. There was a bench right behind Seto's head, and Téa succeeded in smacking her head against it. Her nails were clawing into Seto's neck, and she could feel the skin give under her nails.

 

Téa was still too close, though, and Seto landed another hit on Téa’s face, splitting her lip against her teeth. There was blood in her mouth, and Téa knew here and now that she's never hated another person more in her life, and that she never would.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Miho was a girl of simple pleasures.

 

Among the things she liked were: cute clothes, horses, cute guys, and maintaining her position on the student council. She was the secretary mostly because she didn't feel like joining the bloodbath that was the election process for the president and vice president positions, and she liked talking notes and keeping things orderly.

 

Order was probably the one thing she liked best. She liked living a simple life, where she got good grades, was liked by the teachers, and didn't have to worry about what her classmates thought about her. Sure, there were downsides. She knew far more gossip about the teachers at the high school than she ever cared to know, and even more about her fellow classmates.

 

She'd seen the weird way Gardner and the new girl had been acting around each other mainly because she just noticed things, and it seemed today would be the day when her peace was shattered. Miho was out of the locker room door as soon as Kaiba's (yeah, that was her name) fist connected to the locker.

 

Grateful to herself for having showered and dressed quickly, she rushed over to the boy's locker room on the other side of the gym. She wasn't going to bother wasting time on social niceties with two students tearing each other apart behind her, and quickly made her way down the stairs to the boy's locker room.

 

And really, why was Coach Howard down there anyways?

 

The reason he was down there was perfectly clear when she saw him yelling at Wheeler who was still in his grass stained uniform. She hustled over to the teacher, ignoring indignant yelps and shouts from the other boys who were busy changing or covering themselves up.

 

He didn’t even notice she was there by the time she reached him, he was so caught up in yelling at his wayward student, so she brushed protocol asides and yanked on his arm.

 

“Jesus, what the hell is- _Miho_? What are-” There was confusing in his voice border-lining on alarm.

 

“There's a fight in the girl's locker room. You need to stop it now.”

 

“What the hell are you doing here, you need to get out.”

 

Normally, Miho didn't lose her temper, and especially not in front of the teacher, but if the alternative was explaining to the principal why two girls were allowed to tear themselves (and possible other girls!) apart under her watch, she could make an exception.

 

“Coach Howard you need to get in the goddamn girl's locker room right now or you probably won't have a job tomorrow. So move.” She pulled on his arm again, and started dragging him towards the stairs.

 

“Get your hands off, what are you-”

 

“Miho, what's going on?” Taylor and Wheeler are next to her, faces worried as their coach kept trying to free himself. Her nails dug even deeper into his jacket.

 

“Your friend Gardner and the new girl are trying to kill each other. I need help, would you kindly mind?”

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

The four of them made their way over to the girl's locker room, and even from the stairs of the boy's they could hear shrieking and screaming. Some of the girls were already fleeing the locker room. Coach at least came to his senses a bit, and he was hot on Miho's heels as they ran. Despite still being exhausted from class, Joey and Tristan were not far behind them.

 

Joey afforded a quick glance over at Tristan.

 

In a different time, walking into the girl's locker room would have been the highlight of his friend’s month. Walking into it with girls in various states of undress? Highlight of his life. But reality was a lot less exciting, if what Miho said was true. From the grim look on his friend’s face, he could tell that that day was not going to be one they were going to want to remember.

 

Téa and Seto were easy enough to spot, with the remaining girls given them a wide berth. They were on the ground, and from the tiny smears of blood on the floor and locker, they've been having a hell of a time.

 

Joey saw Téa, one of his best friends, one of the most caring people he knew, crouch down and drive her head up under Seto's chin. He can hear the other girl's teeth clash painfully, and from the blood blossoming on her lower lip he knew that she bit into it. Seto responded by pulling an arm up and driving her elbow down into Téa's back. She cried out at the impact.

 

Joey looked over at Coach, waiting for him to do something, anything to break up the fight. For the first time since he's known him, the man seemed stunned. His mouth was open slightly, mouthing silent words as he tried processing the scene in front of him.

 

“What are you waiting for, come on!”

 

Coach flashed him an angry look. “I can't just grab an underage girl, I”

 

But Tristan was already zipping past him, and Joey followed. There just wasn't any time.

 

Joey reached for Téa, wrapping his arms around her waist and yanking her up as hard as he could. He could see Tristan trying to do the same for Seto, but since she was taller than him he had a little more trouble.

 

Joey pulled Téa back, and thought for the briefest of moments that they were out of the woods, that the worst was already over.

 

WHAM.

 

Of all the goddamn things in the world, getting cold clocked in the balls by one of his best friends was something that he didn't think would happen. At least not so casually. His grip loosened for a moment, and that was all she needed; Téa was gone, and Seto was still being held back by Tristan.

 

She was an easy target.

 

“Téa, stop.” Joey wheezed out, but she was still going for it. She lunged at a pinned Seto, and the other girl leaned back, pushing Tristan into the lockers behind them. She forced one of her legs up, and Téa was moving too fast and ended up running straight into the other girl's foot. Seto shoved back, and Téa ended up down on the ground, and Joey finally got a grip on her again.

 

Coach finally found his voice too.

 

“EVERYONE, GET OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM, NOW!” His voice bellowed through the room, and the rest of the girls were yanking the rest of their clothes on, running out of the room and out of the mess that was still behind them. All the while, Joey still had a death-grip on Téa, as one of his best friends kept trying to claw her way over to the other girl.

 

‘ _Great. Just great.’_

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

The silence outside of the principal's office was deafening. The last bell signaling the end of classes had rung half an hour ago, but the two battered girls were still waiting for their meeting. The school secretary was silently keeping an eye on them from her desk, but neither of the two had so much as spoken a word since they were brought in during the first lunch period. All the girls had gotten to clean themselves up with were paper towels from the disapproving looking sectary; they were still in their filthy gym clothes.

 

Seto cast a hidden glance over at Téa. The girl looked awful. Her face was a curious mix of fury and humiliation. Her left cheek was swollen, the skin darkening into a sickly looking purple. Her lip stopped oozing blood a while ago. Seto knew that her face wasn’t much better. Her head hurt like hell, and she had to fight the urge to keep worrying her bottom lip and reopening the cut there.

 

She looked down. Téa's fingertips were an angry shade of red, a couple of her nails shredded. Seto could still feel the stinging of the myriads of cuts those nails had left around her neck and shoulders. Some of her own knuckles are bloodied up, the drying blood already caked.

 

Téa's parents and Noah had arrived ages ago, and were still in the principal's office.

 

Téa's parents had come first, less than an hour after the school called them. Téa's mother was wearing some uniform, but of what exactly Seto couldn't really tell in the scant moments that she saw her. Téa's father was a sturdy, intense looking man. Both had looked immensely worried as the vice principal had led them into the office. Téa had looked like she had wanted to say something to them, but in the end closed her mouth and just stared angrily at her shoes.

 

Noah had taken a bit longer. Seto knew that he was supposed to be meeting with vendors today, and was surprised when he showed up only fifteen minutes after Téa's parents. He still in a higher-end suit, one of the while ones that Mokuba liked. Aqua shirt, silver tie, all the colors did was make his skin look sallow and sickly. Looking at him, Seto found herself dropping her gaze, refusing to make eye contact. She doesn't know if it bothers him or not because he too disappeared into the principals office.

 

And still they waited.

 

Seto tries to clear her mind, to stave off the muted panic growing at the edges of her thoughts. She focused on her breathing, in and out. In and out.

 

In and out....

 

 

All things come to an end, and the bizarre school time purgatory the girls found themselves in drew to a close as the door opened up from the principal's office. The vice principal was leading them out, with Téa's parents and Noah filing out after him. Téa's mother's eyes were red though her face was dry, and her father's face was unpleasantly blank.

 

Seto looked over at Noah.

 

Their eyes met for a moment, and then Seto was back to starting at the floor, needing to look at anything or anyone that wasn't him.

 

He looked worse, much worse then when he walked into the office. But what had Seto's guts churning was the touch of fear in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to throw up, and Seto did too.

 

The vice principal led them all into his own office, and just like that the girls were alone again. The door to the principal's office is still open.

 

“Gardner, Kaiba, come in here now.” The voice was cool and crisp, and it brokered no negotiation. Standing up, Seto felt pangs of pain all over her body. Determined not to limp, she squared her shoulders and made her way into the lion's den, Téa following at her heels.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Téa felt like she was walking in a nightmare. Directed to sit down, she sat in one of the chairs in front of the principal's desk. The seat was still warm, and the thought that one of her parents might had just been sitting there made her feel nauseous.

 

She took a quick look over at Seto. The bruises on her face were coming in quite nicely, and Téa could see the angry little red crescents under her face that had come from her nails. Looking down, she surveyed the damage on her fingertips. There was blood dried under some of them, and the need to scrub her fingers welled up, but she pushed it down.

 

She felt the weight of the principal's gaze on her, and forced herself to look up.

 

Principal Carter, an older, stony looking woman, looked them over, eyes flickering from Seto to Téa. There was a muted look of disgust on her face, and Téa felt like curling in on herself. Eventually, she spoke.

 

“Are either of you feeling proud of yourselves at this moment?”

 

Neither of them answered.

 

The principal's face gets stonier. “I asked you young ladies a question, and I expect an answer now from you.”

 

Téa swallowed, but Seto spoke first.

 

“No.” Gone was her usual coldness and disdain, her voice flat and tired. Téa found her own voice. “No, ma'am.”

 

Principal Carter cocked her head to the side like she was considering them. “Really? I'm surprised, I was under the impression that you were. With that scene you two made in that locker room, I'm surprised you're not bragging now. Would you like to reconsider your answers?”

 

“No, ma'am.”

 

Bringing her hands to clasp in front of herself, their principal leaned back in her chair.

 

“Girls, I will say that you both have managed to surprise me. I could almost say that it's ' _refreshing_ ' to have two bright, young ladies such as yourselves being the first potential cases of expulsion this year. It's usually some of the young men in this school, but you two certainly outdid yourselves. Congratulations.”

 

_Expulsion_.

 

“What, are you two going to give me the silent treatment? Did you get all of your talking out of the way already?” Seto started to speak, but the principal cut her off with a raised hand.

 

“That's good, because I want you two to listen, and to listen well. Look at me, Gardner.”

 

Téa would give anything not to be there, but she looked up all the same.

 

The older woman took a deep breath, one that seemed to emanate infinite weariness at dealing with the irrepressible stupidity of teenagers. “And yes, I said _potential_ expulsions. That goes for both of you. Now listen carefully, and maybe one of you bright young ladies will learn something new.”

 

“Both of you are suspended for the rest of the week. This is non-negotiable, I have already talked to your parents,” a nod to Téa, “and your guardian,” now to Seto, “about this. These will be in-school suspensions, because one thing I cannot stand is the idea that you two sitting at home, sulking about being wronged for God knows what reasons either of you can think of.”

 

“That's not all, of course. I need you two to understand how completely and utterly pointlessly you two have tried to ruin your own lives. Both of your actions are well within the district guidelines for being expelled.”

 

Her eyes narrowed at them. “Assault is a felony, and according to the district guidelines both of you could be charged in the 3rd of 4th degree for fighting on school grounds. Consider yourselves dammed lucky that you didn't drag any of your classmates into this. It's bad enough two of your own classmates had to restrain you, and imagine if they weren't two of your friends, Miss Gardner?” Téa's cheeks flooded with shame. “A scratch on any other kid, and their parents would be here with their lawyers and this would already be a closed issue. The ink on your paperwork would have already been dry.”

 

She had barely noticed Tristan or Joey during the fight, she was too caught up with seeing red.

 

“And Miss Gardner, you're already 17, and Miss Kaiba is not far behind you. The courts don't look too kindly at your age group.”

 

Téa tried not to fidget under the principal's harsh gaze. The older woman sighed. “Girls, would one of you like to tell me just what happened to cause this?”

 

If she had expected an answer like the first time, she was disappointed yet again. “Nothing? Nothing at all caused this mess?”

 

Téa wanted to say something, anything. Her thoughts were in a jumble, one answer bumping against another excuse, all of them tumbling about into a useless mess. It didn't matter, though, since she knew that in the end of it all, all of it pointed back to her. It was all her fault.

 

“Nothing?” The principal sounds frustrated now, voice edging on anger. Téa waited for Seto to give her answer, to paint her the guilty party in this mess. But still...

 

“I'm not playing games with you girls, I deserve an explanation for why I have you two in my office like this. Why I had to drag your parents and guardian into this. If anyone, I think they deserve an answer.”

 

_'I'm so sorry mom and dad, I am, I really am.'_

 

But nothing still.

 

“Miss Kaiba.” The principal gives the taller girl an indiscernible look. “I'm going to need you to consider your words very carefully. Are you going to tell me what happened to day, or are you just going to tell me nothing and waste my time?”

 

There's silence in the room, and Téa can hear the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking quietly as it marked every passing second.

 

“Ma’am,” she started quietly, but firmly. “I am not here to waste your time, but I have nothing to say.”

 

She maintained eye contact as she said it, and Tea's wondered just where that came from. Why didn't she rat her out for starting the fight? Why?

 

The older woman huffed out an angry breath. “You are truly testing the limits of my patience. Both of you.” There were many papers on her desk, and she moved one in front of her. She looked over at Téa, shooting a calculating look. “Miss Gardner, do you have anything to say?”

 

Uneasily, Téa shook her head. “No, ma'am.”

 

For a long moment, the anger simmering under the older woman’s skin was almost palpable. But then, it faded into weariness yet again. “You two are quite pieces of work. There is a lot that I would like to say to both of you, but perhaps most notably I would like you” she pointed a severe finger at Seto, “to thank your damn lucky stars that you have that brother of yours. He’s a rather persuasive man, and future students will be grateful for the new renovations that his donations will help build.”

 

Seto’s face got that pinched look, but she didn’t rise to the taunt.

 

“And as much as I would like you two to understand what unfortunate circumstances you two almost put yourselves in, I would much rather toe the line to what kind of personal information I’m going to disclose to such thoughtful, responsibility-minded teenagers such as yourselves.”

 

One silver lining. Téa didn’t any of her past skeletons being paraded out in front of the other girl, even if it meant hearing more about the other’s shortcomings. There was just only so much stress she could take in a day.

 

Principal Carter let out a long suffering sigh. “You girls are an aggravation and a half each.” She pushed the two papers in front of her to the side, and pulled another one closer to her.

 

“If you two are finished feeling sorry for yourselves, I believe we can continue.” She didn't bother waiting for an answer this time. “You two ought to be grateful. You spent so much time waiting outside this office because your parents and guardian spent so much time petitioning on your on behalves. Through our talks we were able to come up with something. Not an easy solution for you girls’ attitudes, more like a game plan. One I have some confidence in.” A hint of a smile grew on her face. Téa wasn’t sure that she liked it.

 

She glanced over at Seto only to find the other girl looking back at her. She gave a little shrug.

 

‘Anything is better than nothing.’

 

“Ms Carter, can you please tell us more about this plan?”

 

The smile grew even bigger.

 

“Oh, I would love to.”

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It was night time, and Téa laid in her bed, clutching her dolphin plush against her chest. It was ragged and old, but it had been a gift from her father before he left for another deployment back in elementary school, and it had always been a source of comfort to her.

 

It wasn't doing much for her at that moment, but she'd take whatever she could get.

 

That day ranked up in the top three of the worst days of her life.

 

The drive back home had been quiet and tense. Her parents seemed to be functioning on autopilot. They hadn't yelled at her once, not during the drive, not at home, just nothing. If anything, it was like they were more than a little lost, still processing what situation their only child had found herself in and were still trying to figure out what to do.

 

There had been phone calls.

 

At least three times, she heard the phone ringing, and following it the footsteps of her mother going to answer it. Each time she had answered in hushed, quiet tones, and in less than a minute would hang up again.

 

Téa clutched her dolphin even tighter.

 

Was it Yugi? Joey? Tristan or even Ryou?

 

The fact that if they were calling and her mother just wasn't passing them off to her didn't bother Téa very much. What would she even say if they called? It hadn't even been a day since her talk with Joey, and already seemed like she had sent her life to hell in a hand basket.

 

Earlier, her mother had informed her that she had already called the dance studio and told her that she wouldn't be coming to class that night. A waste of a class, but if she wasn't even in a state where she thought she could talk to her friends, dancing would not even be an option. Her head and her heart ached.

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

Téa rolled over so she faced the door. The right thing to do would be to get up and answer the door for whichever one of her parents was there to chew her out for the utterly unbelievable shit she had gotten herself into.

 

She wanted to move, but her limbs wouldn't let her. “Come in.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she hated the sound of it. The door knob turned, and Téa's mother slipped in. A petite woman, she moved with a quiet cat-like grace. Téa assumed that years of trying to mimic her mother had paid off when she finally started dancing in earnest.

 

Her mother made her way across the room, and without speaking a word sat at the foot of Téa's bed. Her hands were clasped loosely in her lap, and her shoulders sagged downward ever so slightly. Téa stayed curled on her bed for a little bit longer, but knew better than to stay there. With a Herculean effort, she pulled herself up, letting herself sit next to her mother. There was still a gap in between them, and the dolphin was still clutched in her arms.

 

Neither woman said anything for a while.

 

“Téa.” Her mother breathed out quietly. Her arms pressed the dolphin even tighter to her chest. She could feel her breaths getting deeper, more ragged. She didn't bother to put the light on in the room before, and as evening carried on the shadows reached deeper and deeper around her. Téa wondered what her father was doing at the moment, waiting for his turn or if he just wouldn't come.

 

She waited for her mother to continue on.

 

 

The silence stretched on before Téa could feel the bed dip. The next thing she knew, she could feel her mother's hand on her hair, her fingers gently carding through it. Tears prickled at the edges of her eyes.

 

“Are you alright, Téa?” Her voice was still soft, and Téa's tears spill over for the second time that day. She rested her head against her mother's shoulder, and let's her mother pull her closer.

 

“Can you tell me what's wrong, Téa? Anything, anything at all. Please tell me what's wrong so I can help you, honey. Your father and I just want to help.”

 

What was Téa even supposed to say? _'I didn't like a girl so I ended up fighting her and_ _still_ _maybe_ _might end up getting expelled_ _?'_ There wasn't any version of the story that didn't end up coming back to how everything was her fault. Seto wouldn't have fought her if she hadn't of hit her first, she'd never have cornered her that day if she hadn't have felt guilty about harassing the other girl at the game shop, all of it would never had happened if she had just let that first day's rudeness slide.

 

But no, she hadn't.

 

She kept crying as her mother held her, the woman speaking gentle words of comfort all the while. Téa rubbed her face with the dolphin, smearing her tears all over. She pulled back from her mother a bit, her mother's hand falling from her hair to sit comfortingly on her shoulder. She turned to look at her mother, and was determined to find the right words.

 

Any words.

 

“Mom,” her voice was still thick with tears. “I-I, I messed up. I screwed up so bad I'm sorry I'm just so sorry.” The hand on her shoulder pulled her closer, as more words spilled out. “I didn't mean to, I just...”

 

“What, Téa?” Her mother asked quietly.

 

Téa sniffed loudly, and rubbed at her face again. “I just couldn't control myself. I couldn't stop, I wish I never had done it.”

 

Her mother's face looked thoughtful. “I know, honey, I know. Téa, please tell me, is this something that has been going on for a while? Was there something going on that you needed help with? I know your father and I aren't around the house as much as we'd like to be, but if there was anything you needed, you could've come to us.”

 

“I know.” Téa replied. “I know. It just, things, they weren't so bad. Not before. Just little things. So many little things. And I screwed up.”

 

Her mother made a quiet humming sound in the back of her throat. “Téa, at the school, we talked to the principal and vice principal. They said that, oh they said a lot of things. But they talked about a plan.” She shook her head gently. “Wouldn't tell us much more than that, just said that they had a plan and if we wanted to keep you in school we just had to say ' _yes_ '. I never liked that woman, I told you that before, hm?”

 

Téa nodded her head, and brushed a few more errant tears away.

 

“Told your father too, but he didn't listen. Still, a plan. That's a good thing, honey. It's a start, a place to work off of. This is a good thing.”

 

In her gut, Téa felt a lot more apprehensive about 'the plan'. If she couldn’t get along with Seto normally, how was she going to pull it off with so much pressure hanging over them? Still, it didn't mean that she wanted to ruin the spark of hope that her mother was obviously harboring.

 

There was a hand on her cheek, and Téa looked back up at her mother. “Téa, honey, tell me please, what's going on with this girl? You've never talked about her before, who is she? What was going on?”

 

Téa let of a deep breath, her shoulders sagging. “She's, just some girl. New.” She searched for something to say that was different than _'She didn't want to be my friend so I hated her guts and punched first.'_ “She's one of Yugi's friends.”

 

And that was a bit of a reach, but it was the most positive thing she could say about her. Her mother's eyebrows raised up, as if she was surprised to hear that. “Really now? Yugi? I thought you two had the same group of friends.”

 

Téa shrugged. She really didn't want to get into it, at least not yet.

 

Her mother peered at her face a little longer, and made a humming sound again. “I think at some time very soon, your father and I would like to hear more about this girl. More about,” she waved her free hand in front of herself “ _this_. But right now, your father's getting dinner ready, and now that we finally have you home on a Tuesday night we aren't going to miss having dinner together, do you understand me?”

 

Téa nodded again, and let herself be pulled into another hug. Her mother's arms were wrapped tighter this time. The side of her face pressed to her mother's chest, she could hear her heartbeat.

 

“My darling girl, I want you to know that whatever happens, we're going to find a way through this, do you understand? Your mother and father will always be here for you, and we will always love our girl.”

 

Téa held on tighter to her mother, and after a few minutes let her lead her off of the bed, and down to stairs to where her father had waited for them.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Seto personally thought that that Tuesday was never going to end, but before she knew it it was already Wednesday morning. She was weary from getting chewed out by the principal, and somehow even wearier from having to deal with Noah’s interrogation afterwards. He didn’t even have the decency to get angry, he just held onto his kicked dog expression in an attempt to make her feel bad.

 

Not that she needed any help with that.

 

If she thought things had ended badly at Princeton Academy (and oh, they had), it was nothing compared to the slow, deadly torture of what the principal had in mind for her.

 

(Because, really, you can get kicked out of a school once, but not being allowed to leave?)

 

“If you don't pay attention, Seto, you're going to make a mistake.” Ms Davey, the art teacher grumbled.

 

Seto couldn’t quite repress the urge to glare at the art teacher, but the older woman was already focused back on her work, grading some papers with unnecessary flourishes of her red pen. Her glare wasted, she looked back down to the half-finished paper snowflake in her hand.

 

Seto hadn't known what she had expected from an in-school suspension, but she hadn't expected, well...

 

Some poorly furnished room in a corner of the school, some doddering old teacher writing down notes for their retirement party, piles of extra coursework that would find its way into the recycling bin as soon as she handed it in, all of that she had expected.

 

Téa too, but was only because Seto figured that the school didn't have two doddering teachers to reserve for in-school suspension duty.

 

But instead….

 

It was still roughly an hour before lunch time, and the girls had spent the entire morning in the art room, cutting out paper snowflakes. White snowflakes, silver snowflakes, powder blue, it was an endless stream of cutting and cutting and tiny bits of paper raining down on the table. Seto was seated at a table near the front of the classroom, while Téa was busy snipping away at her own massive pile of colored paper near the windows in back. What her opinion on their situation was, Seto didn't know or care.

 

Neither girl had shared anything more than an aggravated glance earlier in the morning. Téa was still sporting a nasty bruise on her face (which Seto felt zero remorse for), but she didn't seem that bent out of shape. It already felt like what had happened had happened to someone else, or way back in the past, not barely 24 hours prior.

 

Seto's mind was drifting around as she continued to cut out the snowflakes. Why the school didn't allocate a tiny portion of their budget to buy some actual decorations escaped her. If anything, they probably planned on having some students get into enough trouble to warrant outsourcing their useless tasks upon them.

 

They weren't even very good. The teacher had instructed them to fold the paper twice over and then start cutting, but Seto experimented with different numbers of fold to try and make a neater design. They all had crease marks anyways, so it was barely worth the effort.

 

Seto could imagine some intern at Kaiba Corp headquarters suggesting such an absurd idea and promptly getting sacked for the audacity.

 

Then again, Domino High _deserved_ crappy decorations like those.

 

Seto made a rather savage cut, making her sorry excuse for a snowflake even less impressive. It wasn’t like the school was going to be hurting for money anytime soon. The principal had even rubbed it into Seto’s face that Noah had offered to buy Seto out of trouble. Not that she had felt particularly grateful about that fact, but it was what it was. She made a few more cuts, trying to salvage the piece of paper.

 

Whatever stupid plan the principal had, she had decided to hold it over the girls’ heads until Friday, letting them stew in the meanwhile. Seto certainly didn’t have a shortage of bad feelings to cycle through.

 

She made another savage cut, bisecting the poor snowflake.

 

 

Still.

 

There was a good chance both girls would be avoiding anything as drastic as an expulsion, if what the principal’s implications were anything to go off of. From how Seto was feeling the morning after, they could have gotten off a lot worse. Catastrophically worse. And even if upsetting Noah didn’t make her feel particularly bad, seeing Mokuba’s worried face the night before was enough to make her willing to go along with it.

 

Not that she had to like it.

 

Eventually, the teacher let them take a break for lunch. Soon afterwards, they ended up moving into another classroom since most of Ms Davey's classes were in the afternoon. The vice principal, Mr Wolfe, was in charge next. With him were two neatly organized piles of paper and packets. He had an apologetic look on his face, and told them that they should have been working on their _actual_ assigned coursework during their time in suspension.

 

_Figured_.

 

The next day was pretty much the same. Avoid Noah in the morning, head to school early, get passed off from classroom to classroom, teacher to teacher. Do coursework, study, get assigned extra little tasks from the attending teacher ( _Could you file these please? Could you make me a copy of this please? Make another 100 snowflakes and try to make them look_ nice _for once?_ ). After that, wait for her driver, go home wait for Mokuba to get home, avoid Noah again, and repeat.

 

She knew she was putting off the inevitable confrontation with him, but that would be a problem for another day. Hopefully, one not terribly soon.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The Friday in school suspension hadn't been much different from the others. They were with the vice principal first since apparently he had realized Ms Davey was, in fact, not the best choice for watching them. That had lasted until lunch, where the two girls founds themselves back at the scene of the crime.

 

Hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki pants, and his shoulders hunched, Coach Howard seemed as miserable to see them as they were to see him. Instead of being in his office, which was inconveniently located in the boy's locker room, he had them settle on the bleachers. Once again, Seto sat as from away from Téa as possible. She took a seat higher up on the bleachers while the other stuck closer to the floor.

 

The coach glowered at them. “Well, look at you two. As if there weren't enough problems coming from your class.” He shook his head. “Doesn't matter, I guess. You girls know the routine, get your books out, get your work done, don't talk to each other. Are we clear?”

 

He got a ' _Yes, Coach_.' from Téa. Seto just matched his look with a sullen one of her own and pulled out her calculus textbook. She had finished all of her actual assigned work on the first day, and had just taken to reading her textbooks in the interim. It was material they were going to cover in class anyways, she might as well get a head start on it.

 

A shrill noise rang out throughout the gym, startling Seto from her book. Looking up, she could see the coach make a dash for his jacket, pulling out the offending cell phone. Looking at the screen, he pulled a face, and silenced the phone.

 

“You two know dam-darn well better than to try something now. You'll have your meeting with the principal soon enough. Just,” he waved a hand at them, “just sit, stay here, I'll be back in 5 minutes. And don't you dare tell anyone about this.” Without a backwards glance he headed for the doors to the outside, and shoved his way through one of the doors.

 

And then there were two.

 

Seto shifted a bit in her seat.

 

That had been the scenario she had been quietly dreading for the past three days; being alone with Téa. It wasn't that she was nervous around the girl, for she wasn't. Why would she be scared, the girl had only landed a couple of hits because she had blindsided Seto first. It was just a general feeling of unease, knowing that whatever had been building between them could have exploded in such a fantastically horrible way.

 

Just the Thursday of the previous week, she had just been some girl who gave Seto dirty looks; come Tuesday, she was the girl who had nearly gotten Seto expelled.

 

Who still might.

 

Ignoring her own discomfort, Seto did her best to focus on her textbook. The material was exceptionally dry, and not quiet the quality that she had experienced at Princeton Academy, but it beat waiting for the coach to come back so Téa could quit staring at her.

 

Which she so obviously was.

 

Seto's shoulders hunched as she tried to lose herself more into the book. The formulas, while familiar and comforting in a way, didn't stop the hairs from the back of her neck from starting to stand up. She couldn't hear the creak of the much varnished wood, so she assumed Téa was doing her the favor of creeping her out from where she sat and not coming up to her level.

 

To an effect, she didn't.

 

A small, folded scrap of powder blue paper hit her bag that was sitting next to her.

 

Seto ignored it.

 

Another folded scrap hit the level just below where Seto was sitting.

 

She ignored that too.

 

“Stop reading your textbook for a minute and listen to me.” Téa hissed at her.

 

Seto let out a sigh from deep within her bones and glared at Téa. “How about you listen to the coach and stop causing me problems. Would appreciate it.” And her face went back into her book.

 

Téa let out an annoyed sound. “I can come up there if you'd like.”

 

“You can stay right where you are.”

 

“Okay, fine.” Téa shifted herself so she sat with her whole body facing Seto. The bruise on her face was reduced to some lingering yellow patches, and her lip had healed nicely. Pity.

 

Seto went back to her textbook again.

 

“Oh, I can not believe you.” The sound of Téa climbing up the bleachers jerked Seto back into the present.

 

“Stay the hell away from me.” Undeterred, the other girl kept climbing up, and Seto found herself fumbling up another level, leaving her books and bag behind. Unfortunately, all too soon her shoulders bumped into the wall, and she realized that she had been outmaneuvered. Téa kept getting closer, and she felt her heart rate spike.

 

She held up a hand in warning. “If you come any closer to me, I swear I'll start screaming and he'll come running back in here.”

 

Téa scoffed. “Why are you being so dramatic? I just need to talk to you before our meeting.”

 

“ _Why am I being so dramatic?_ ” Seto mimicked mockingly. “Maybe it's because _you're_ the one who fucking attacked me first? I'm sure the school board would just _love_ to hear all about it.”

 

Téa's face blanched, and she halted her progress. “Jesus, that's what I'm here to talk about! I want to say I'm sorry!”

 

“Maybe if you weren't trying to chase me all over the bleachers that could almost be believable. Now get back down, he'll be back soon.”

 

Téa afforded a quick glance over at the doors, but didn't see any sign of the fuming coach. Maybe the call had been an emergency? No matter. She looked back at Seto with determination in her eyes.

 

“I would've been finished if you'd just given me a chance. I'll take this one now.” She paused for a moment, as if steeling herself for some great ordeal. “You. I just, I want to say that I'm sorry, for everything. Last week, Tuesday, everything. I don't know why I've been like this, or how I let it get out of control.”

 

The look on her face was so annoyingly sincere and open, and it pissed Seto the hell off.

 

“Maybe if we weren't on the edge of being expelled, that apology would have meant something. Why are you even bothering anyways?”

 

“Because whatever ' _plan_ ' the school has for us will probably involve us working together, and the sooner we can make a little peace between us, the better!” Téa snapped.

 

“You're the one who hit me!”

 

“And I said I'm sorry!”

 

“Just stop talking to me, it's almost time for the meeting anyways and I don't want to go in looking pissed because you wouldn't shut up.”

 

That last comment earned her a glare, but Téa left it off at that. “Fine, we'll talk later. Go back to reading your stupid book.”

 

With that, she quietly made her way back down to the first level bleacher as quickly as possible. Once she determined that the other girl was actually retreating and not waiting for Seto to drop her guard and spring up at her, Seto made her way back to her books. Téa had all-so-accidentally left a shoe print in the middle of her still open calculus book. Before Seto could chew her out over it, she heard the gym doors slam open.

 

Coach Howard was back, his expression shifted from pissed off to just looking very, very annoyed. And tired.

 

Walking stomping over to them, he seemed to make an effort to reassemble his features back into their usual state of disapproval. “Neither one of you were messing around, right? Good.” He didn't bother waiting for a response. He glanced quickly at his watch. “Getting about time for you two to head out. Make sure you know what you want to say when you make your cases for yourselves.”

 

That was, almost helpful?

 

He frowned, as if surprised by himself. “You have a few more minutes, just be ready.” Grumbling a bit more to himself, he walked off, settling himself at the far end of the first level bleachers, a hand absentmindedly fingering the phone that was undoubtedly back in his pocket.

 

Knowing she couldn't put off the confrontation forever, Seto started running through different verbal lines of defense in her head as the last minutes before their fateful meeting ran out.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“I hear that neither one of you young ladies have been causing any problems during your suspension. If only you two could be so well behaved all the time.” Principal Carter's lips lifted up into a smirk at her own little joke. Seto and Téa kept their faces blank. Now wasn't the time to let their annoyance show.

 

The older woman didn't seem to mind that they weren't sharing in her joke. “One less headache, I suppose. I hear that Ms Davey actually put you two to good use? A silver lining to this little cloud.”

 

Téa wondered if she was every going to get to the point.

 

After a few more moments, the older woman did. “Normally, we'd be having this meeting with your parents and guardian present, not to mention the vice principal as well, but we've been in contact with them all week aside from our meeting on Tuesday, so I think us having our little conversation like this will be fine.”

 

She gave them both a quick once-over, and then proceeded to lay out the terms of the plan to them in a matter of fact tone, like she was talking about something other than expulsions looming over their heads. “As I said before, your parents and guardian have already agreed to the school's terms. This is a commitment that extends outside of school as well.”

 

“Fundamentally, you two are going to be spending this school year working together. Miss Kaiba, I've heard that you don't feel particularly challenged by your classes?” A quick flash of annoyance flitted through Seto's eyes, but the older woman carried on. “It's disappointing that you felt you couldn't push yourself in any other way, but now you do.”

 

She fixed Seto with a stern look. “You will be in charge of Miss Gardner's grades. This isn't standard practice, but for her to remain a viable candidate for the schools she is applying to she needs to bring her grades up. She's already in danger of failing chemistry, and it's only been one month.”

 

Téa took offense to that. She was trying!

 

“And don't think you'll get away with just cramming enough information into her head to regurgitate back up during tests, she needs to understand and be able to use the material.”

 

“I won't need any of that to be a dancer.” Téa blurted out without even thinking.

 

“Gardner if you don't shut your mouth and listen you can consider the deal off the table and the two of you can get ready for your hearings.” Principal Carter snapped.

 

Téa cringed in her seat. “Ma'am, we're still listening.” Seto said evenly. Giving Téa one last irritated look, the principal continued on.

 

“Her ACT score is another point of concern. She will need at the very least a 27 to remain competitive with scholarships. Anything over that would be fine, of course. Miss Gardner, your task will be to accept this help and to utilize it to its full extent. The school's own resources for preparing students for the exam are rather thin, so this will be an excellent opportunity to utilize all resources that are being used to their full extent.”

 

Téa wanted to sneak another glance over at Seto, to she how she was taking the news. The principal was watching a little too closely, so she decided to skip the risk. Seto had to be getting pissed though. Throughout the whole spiel, all Carter had talked about where things that Seto could do. Téa seemed to be just along for the ride, at that point.

 

“You will have absolutely no excuses for any poor academic performances for the rest of the year.”

 

She clasped her hands together in front of her. “And now, for the part you'll both really enjoy. How you plan to work together to accomplish these tasks is up to you, but you will have to run them by Vice Principal Wolfe or myself every week, before or after classes but always together. You will also report on the success of your plans or what you will need to do to improve them. Your current class schedules would be difficult to adjust due to the differences in your academic levels, but don't be surprised that your situations will be taken into consideration next semester.”

 

“Also, you two will need to meet at least three times a week for at an hour outside of school hours. Miss Gardner, your parents have already assured me that your work schedule will not be allowed to conflict with this. Since the two of you have already proven how well you get along when it's just the two of you, you will need an adult present who has already been approved by the school. They will sign off saying that they monitored your meeting, and this will continue until the vice principal and I feel that you two warrant not needing a babysitter.”

 

She gave them a considering look. “I cannot stress enough to you two that we wouldn't even be having this conversation if your parents and guardian hadn't of made such efforts to protect your futures. You will follow this plan and deal with any amendments that may be added later.” She raised a finger.

 

“One. One fight. One failing grade. One complaint that the two of you aren't committed to this deal. That is all it will take for this to fall apart. Do you children understand me?”

 

Téa was the first to find her voice. “Yes, ma'am.”

 

Seto echoed her only a second later.

 

“Excellent.” Principal Carter clapped her hands together loudly, the sound echoing around her office. “I was hoping you two would be reasonable. Now, you'll have the whole weekend to brood and muse about how you plan on working this out together. I expect you both in my office Monday morning for your first report. It would be in your best interests not to disappoint me.”

 

With one more look at the two, she dismissed them with a wave of her hand. Seto was on her feet first and with her bag in hand she was out the door before Téa was even on her feet. Wanting to talk to the other girl before she ran off again, she was stopped by the principal calling out to her.

 

“Miss Gardner, a moment please.”

 

Principal Carter gestured back to the seat she had just vacated. Téa sat down, a quiet, uneasy feeling rolling up in her gut that the 'dismissal' had been a ploy to get Seto out of the room without realizing she was missing out.

 

The air in the room felt different. The older woman's face seemed a little bit softer, a little bit more open. Her steepled fingers took away from that image a bit, and her eyes held the same calculating look.

 

“Miss Gardner, you realize that I've been with Domino High for quite a few years, did you know that?”

 

Téa nodded, not sure where the conversation was going.

 

The principal nodded more to herself in response. “Not the principal for all of those years, no, but always a part of the school.” She gave Téa a searching look. “As a matter of fact, I was teaching here when your own mother was in high school. Did she tell you that?”

 

Téa didn't know what to say to that. The image of her mother's swollen, red eyes as she emerged from the principal's (this woman's) office earlier in the week came to the front of her mind, and she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

 

The older woman went on. “I was one of her teachers too. “She looked wistful for a moment. “A bright young woman, full of promise, not unlike you, Miss Gardner.” Her smile got tighter. “Very young. She made some decisions, made some mistakes. Always owned up to them, yes, but as you should know, some matter more than others.”

 

Now that Téa could see the direction that the principal was headed, she wished she had rushed out after Seto like she had planned on.

 

“Now, I didn't always approve, but when she set her mind upon something, she would do whatever it took to make it happen. Your mother gave up a lot of things for you to have the life you have now. Many, many things, chances, and opportunities. And I so hate, hate, hate seeing wasted potential. And to imagine, your mother giving so much up for her child, only to have that child spit in her face by throwing it all away on a whim. Wouldn't that be terrible?”

 

Téa's fingers tangled themselves together in her lap. The tips still felt a bit raw, but it as a welcome distraction at that point.

 

Principal Carter looked at her through half lidded eyes. “I just want you to understand the position you've put yourself in. You'll be here again soon enough, get out of my office.”

 

Téa was up and through the door without even a jerk of her head. Now that she was out into the main office area, she could feel the skin on her face burning. Why did she have to bring that up? Any of that? Like she didn't know about her mother and the consequences of the decisions that she made. Being that Téa was the main consequence, it was never really much of a secret.

 

She was so caught up in her emotions, she almost barreled straight into Seto as she shoved her way through the office door into the lobby. “What the, can you not just stand there?” She snapped at her. Seto sent her another trademark glare, but seemed to let the comment slide.

 

“And here I thought you wanted to talk. Make up your mind, will you.”

 

“Oh, suddenly you want to talk now?”

 

A marginally less prissy person would have just rolled their eyes at that, but Seto was no such person. “Look, if we're going to start this, can we pick someplace other than right in front of the main office? The secretary's giving us a look.”

 

Téa turned, following the other's gaze. The secretary in fact was giving a disappointing look, though she suddenly had work to do once she realized she was caught staring.

 

“Just hurry up.” Seto walked around her, heading straight for the lobby doors. After a moment's hesitation, Téa followed. Within a minute, they were both outside, enjoying the slight lull of action before the final bell sent the rest of the student body tumbling out into the hallways and out upon the front lawn. Seto led her to a side wall, and turned to face her head on. She looked like she was ready for a fight.

 

Téa wasn't sure she had one in her at the moment.

 

Seeing that Téa wasn't going to start talking first, Seto took the imitative. “Look, you can tell me that you're sorry or whatever until you're blue in the face, it doesn't change anything. Right now all I want to deal with is getting us through this school year, do you understand?”

 

Seto clearly didn't understand basic human politeness, but her priorities at that moment were on task. “Of course I do.”

 

Seto nodded. “And as much as I wanted to have a break from dealing with you, or the school,” she added like an afterthought, “during the weekend, you realize that she set us up to trip up, right?”

 

Téa looked puzzled. “What are you going on about?”

 

Seto breathed out in a huff. “We need to talk about how we're going to work together so we can show up on Monday with a plan. That woman is clearly looking for how we're going to figure things out, and she seems to like it better when we're on the defensive. She likes to be in control.”

 

“Yeah, I've noticed.” Téa huffed.

 

Seto nodded her head. “For the meetings, the library here should be good enough. There are plenty of teachers around who should be fine to sign off on anything, and it's not like we can't find materials there to study with.”

 

Seto had a point, but Téa didn't want to let her know that. “Well, what about when? I have dance lessons at night 4 times a week, and my hours at work aren't always the same.”

 

She got an annoyed look in response. “The library's only good for a couple of hours after school anyways, shouldn't we just set it up right after school so you'll be done early? Your work schedule will have to shift anyways.”

 

Another point. Téa didn't like how quickly the other girl was adjusting to the new reality of their school year. The girl who looked so tense and awkward in the principal's office seemed like a totally different person.

 

_'Probably a closet control freak.'_

 

“I guess.”

 

“As for your grades and whatever you're failing, just bring your textbooks and anything else on Monday, we'll see where we go from there.”

 

Téa felt a question nagging at the back of her mind. “Doesn't it bother you that you're doing most of the work for this? I mean, in this whole thing I'm not doing anything for you.”

 

Again, with that annoyed look!

 

“Look, I don't really care. Being at this school already feels like a punishment, this just adds to that. Just do what I tell you to do and this will be all over soon enough.”

 

With that, it seemed that she deemed the conversation over, and spun on her heel, heading towards the pick up area of the school. There was a car idling by the curb, and without even a half wave goodbye she slipped into it.

 

“Wow, nice talking to you.” Téa huffed as the car drove away. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, and not for the first time, wondered what she had gotten herself into.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some teamwork! Baby steps, baby steps.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Actions have consequences and in school suspensions are never fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Téa finally puts 2 and 2 together.

 

 

Just like the week before, Monday came all too soon.

 

Similarly to the weekend before, Seto spent most of it actively avoiding Noah and attempting to reassure Mokuba that she wasn't actively trying to avoid Noah. She hadn't been entirely successful, and she was sullen as she sat in the vice principal's office before the first bell had rung.

 

For all of the doom and gloom that the principal had promised them, she certainly didn't seem keen on seeing it through. Instead, Seto and Téa were left dealing with the warm, if not somewhat uncomfortable, smiling face of the vice principal instead.

 

It was there that the girls were the lay the groundwork of their plan. Three days a week, an hour a session wasn't that bad in the greater scheme of things, but it was still annoying. Knowing that they would have to be babysat was more annoying still, but it wasn't that much different than when she had to go to Kaiba Corp headquarters.

 

And if she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, which Seto personally felt she was often, the time wasn't much of an issue. She couldn't do anything related to the company and Mokuba was busy with having an actual social life at his school, so that limited the amount of options she would want to pursue.

 

Game Club had just been an afterthought, and she would have loved to give up going there, but Noah had been surprisingly adamant in making her stay. Sure, due to the 'study sessions' (was the school really that hard up for money to afford tutors? Especially after the money Noah had promised them?), she only had Friday afternoons free, but he demanded that she continued attending. For what reason, she couldn't fathom. He had mentioned something about social interaction, as if the whole situation wasn't just a forced version of _that_.

 

Téa murmured about having to reduce her working hours and attending fewer dance classes. From the look on her face, it would have seemed like her dog had died. Not that she expected her to be enthusiastic about the situation either.

 

The vice principal, Mr Wolfe, jotted down notes about everything there were saying. From what Seto could see of it, his handwriting was tiny, and she hoped the principal would get a headache from reading all of it.

 

“Wonderful, wonderful girls! You both are very on task today. Did you also have a location or two in mind as well? Please remember that we would like to be informed of who will be observing these sessions. They'll have to be approved by the school.”

 

He really should have aimed for teaching at an elementary school. “The library should be fine. The librarian is always on duty after school anyways.” Seto said dryly.

 

“Ah, yes, Mrs Anderson. That should be perfectly fine.” His words were slightly at odds with his tone, which held a note of uncertainty about Mrs Anderson's ability to supervise much of anything. Still, he allowed it. After a few more notes, he thanked them for their effort, and shooed them off to their homeroom class.

 

Seto could feel the eyes of her classmates on her as the day went on. It was like the first week all over again, except about twenty times more annoying since the fight seemed like the main topic of gossip around the school.

 

Annoying, but Seto didn't really care one way or another. The knowledge that the day after graduation, she was never going to see any of those people again gave her quiet satisfaction.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

 

Téa hadn't realize how much she didn't like attention until her first day back at classes. Mr Van Damme had been happy enough to see her, as if she'd been out with the flu instead of being suspended for fighting. It was after that that things had started going downhill. Sidelong glances, whispers whenever she walked past, the and tell-tale giggles and snickering that she knew only too well, all of it made her want to hide in the bathroom.

 

Lunch time didn't come soon enough.

 

“Hey stranger, long time no see.” Ryou's cheery face was the first to greet her. The others, sporting somewhat less buoyant smiles, followed suit.

 

“Hey, Téa.” Yugi's smile was a little crooked, but his eyes shone warmly.

 

“We called you a couple times, but your Mom kept saying that you were grounded. Looks like she let you out in one piece, though.” Joey added, already rooting through Yugi's lunch bag.

 

“Well, I'm here.” She said wryly, spreading out her hands. “For now, at least.”

 

“That bad, huh?” asked Tristan, his expression becoming more serious.

 

“Come on, you were there.” She whispered. “It's bad.”

 

“Well, you know, we have lunch with ya on Tuesday, and the next thing we know, _things_ happen and we don't see or hear from you for days. Can't help getting our hopes up seeing you back.” Joey answered back.

 

Téa bit her lip. With everything going on with Seto, it was easy to forget that it was Tristan and Joey who ended up dragging them apart. Coach had been all but useless up to that point. At least Yugi and Ryou hadn't been there. After that game night (and was it only two weeks ago?), she didn't need him to see firsthand anymore of her ugliness.

 

“Well, I'm sorry. I've been saying that all week, but I really am.” She held eye contact with Joey, but he looked away first.

 

“Just try to reign it in a bit more, will you? It's only October.”

 

“So what is going on, exactly? Oh, I got the details of the fight already, they're thrilling.” Four pairs of eyes glared at Ryou. “What? Miho and I talk. But come on, don’t hold out on us. What nefarious deeds is our principal up to now?”

 

She mulled it over for several moments, then shrugged. “It's kind of hard to say. But apparently, we're going to be spending a lot of time together after school. Mandatory observed study sessions. Essentially, we're going to have to prove that we can get along just fine. If we don't,” her fingers drew an X on the table, “we get expelled. End of story.”

 

A small gasp escaped from Yugi's mouth, and Joey and Tristan just looked grim. Ryou, for his part, looked curious. “Really?” Yugi's voice squeaked a bit at the end. “They're ready to just do that?”

 

To herself, Téa thought that her mom had probably been right to limit her contact with the others. She was finally in the range of her normal baseline mood, and even now talking about the details of the ' _plan_ ' were putting her on edge.

 

“Yeah, really really.”

 

Joey let out a low whistle. “I'm glad that I wasn't stuck with Carter as a principal back in middle school. Probably wouldn't be here otherwise.”

 

“You'd think with all of the detentions you get from Coach Howard alone you'd've been expelled by now.” said Tristan. Joey only shrugged at the accusation. “He's probably really shitty at paperwork.”

 

Tristan gave him an unreadable look. “Yeah, probably.”

 

“Not the ruin the cheery mood we have going on,” Ryou interrupted, “but how's Seto doing?”

 

Téa felt an eyebrow twitch. “Like I'd know.”

 

Ryou pouted. “But you were with her in in school suspension, you didn't talk or anything? Or was trying to beat each other's heads in the closest you've had to talking?”

 

“If you want to talk about her, why don't you go find where she's hiding?” Téa snapped.

 

Ryou looked thoughtful for a moment, then calmly packed up the rest of his lunch, leaving some crackers for Joey. “Okay. See you all around.” With a jaunty little wave, he was off.

 

Téa felt all eyes back on her, and she felt herself shrink a little in her seat.

 

“Téa, really, you got to stop. You're already in a lot of trouble.” Yugi said in a hushed voice.

 

“So, could you do yourself a favor and stop looking for more?” Joey added, looking extremely unimpressed by her unimproved attitude.

 

“Look, I'm trying guys, okay? It's been the week from hell, just cut me a little slack now, okay?”

 

“Come on, come on, we got you Téa, okay? Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out.” Tristan said, his tone pleading for them to keep the peace.

 

Téa knew better to let herself get worked up, but whenever it came to Seto, it seemed like she just couldn't help it. If they were going to avoid getting expelled, she was going to have to.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The first week of ' _study sessions_ ' had proven to be,

 

boring.

 

If Téa had expected something to get her riled up like her first lunch back with her friends, she was in for a disappointment.

 

The bitchy and cold Seto she had came to loathe was still there in the library, but Seto seemed much more focused on assessing her academic abilities than starting another fight.

 

Okay, letting _Téa_ start another fight.

 

That Seto had came to the first meeting with a printed out test of her own making that turned out to be the pop quiz from hell should have been a strong hint to how seriously she would take the whole affair. It seemed that whenever Seto had an actually goal she wanted to achieve, she switched from being an uncaring, cold, bitchy person to being an uncaring, cold, bitchy person with her eye on the prize. The prize namely getting Téa's chemistry grade back on track.

 

“You really are terrible at this.” she murmured during their second meeting on Wednesday. She had been going through some of Téa's worksheets that had already been graded and handed back, and was busy trying to find anything salvageable.

 

“Thanks for the insight, I never would have guessed.” Téa replied sarcastically, trying and failing to become engrossed in the newest unit in her chemistry textbook.

 

Seto gave her an irritated look. “I'm trying to find out what you actually know so we can build off from there, don't be so sensitive about it.” She said. Later on, Téa would realize that that was somewhat apologetic.

 

Evidently, Seto had found whatever it was that she was looking for, because by the next day she had come with more papers and outlines, and a copy of Téa's class textbook that was sporting dozens of little post it notes marking each and every page that Seto thought was important. One look at all of the fluttering little pieces of paper made Téa's stomach drop.

 

“It's like talking to a wall for an hour everyday.” Téa complained to Yugi on the phone after getting back from dance practice. It was Thursday, and she and Seto had already had their third session together, and Téa felt like she was going to crawl the walls. If she thought a cold and bitchy Seto was bad, a monotone and contemptuous one was even worse. She could just feel the other girl looking down on her whenever she stumbled over an answer.

 

Téa had no idea just what Seto's level was at anything academics wise, since they didn't share any of the core classes, but by the way she flitted through the different chemistry books in the library to explain some obscure formula or method, it was like she was born knowing it. Like she had emerged fully grown out of the womb with every bit of cold, factual knowledge already pre-programmed into her head.

 

She decided not to share that thought with Yugi, since he'd probably disapprove.

 

“I'm pretty sure the reason why they're making you do this is because it wouldn't be easy.” He chided lightly. “It hasn't even been a week yet, you can't give up.”

 

Téa flopped down on her bed, not caring that she still felt sweaty and kind of gross. Ever since the ' _incident_ ', as she tried to refer to it in her mind, Ms Valentine had been harder than ever on her. It was like she had taken the dismissal of her advice personally.

 

“It's not that I want to give up. I just want to know why she can't talk like a normal person. Even just five minutes would be nice! Something other than her babbling something about chemistry and giving me a look when I don't get it immediately.”

 

Yugi let out a light ' _hmmm_ ' at that. “Téa, can you tell me something?”

 

“Sure.” She responded, taking the opportunity to shift into a more comfortable position, shucking her socks off as her toes were set free.

 

“When you're at the study sessions-”

 

“Torture sessions.”

 

“ _When you're there_ , what do you focus on more: your chemistry textbook or Seto annoying you?”

 

Téa pulled a face, even if Yugi couldn't see her. The follow-up ' _hmmm_ ' seemed to imply that he knew what face she was making anyways.

 

“You don't understand, Yugi, you just hang out with her to play games, I have to spend time with her throwing information at me like eventually something's going to stick.”

 

“Well, then tell me. C'mon, Téa, how much worse is she than Mr Hendricks?”

 

“Gee, I don't know. He puts me to sleep, and she makes me want to bang me head against the desk.”

 

“Really? Joey's always complaining about Hendricks not even paying attention in class. Which I'm guessing is good for passing notes, not so much if you actually need some help.”

 

Téa let herself sink deeper into her mattress. The stress from the week was making her body feel so sore, and she still had Friday to go.

 

“Just because she seems to know everything doesn't make her teacher material. I could see her in an elementary school making kids cry because they don’t already have a mastery of applied physics.”

 

“Do you even have a mastery of your chem notebook?”

 

“Shut up, Yugi.”

 

“Sorry I can't be more of a help. Science isn't my strong point.”

 

“Don't worry about it. Tristan's good at it, but he sucks at explaining everything.”

 

She could hear Yugi smiling through the phone line. “More than Seto?”

 

“She sucks way, way more.”

 

“Nice to know.” Yugi said sarcastically.

 

“Hey, you asked.” Téa grinned gleefully. She really needed to start getting ready for bed soon. The only plus side to the whole study arrangement was that Seto usually had her do her homework first thing during the meeting, and as a result typically had it done (and checked) before without need to do more at home.

 

“Tell me, does it bother you more that she talks _down_ to you, or talks _at_ you?”

 

Téa had to think about that for a second. Was there really a difference? “Like, being all I'm-better-than-you versus acting like you aren't already there?” Yugi clarified.

 

Ah.

 

“Well, she's irritating either way. But when we're together, it's more like, it's different from when we talked before. She could be bitchy but she'd at least react, you know? Now she just pushes the study material over and over again like a robot stuck on an endless loop.”

 

“Do you try asking her about stuff not related to chemistry?”

 

Téa rolled her eyes. “She doesn't want to talk. Not about the weather, school, nothing. I can't mentioned either of her brothers without getting a look like I'm doing something wrong.”

 

“Weeeeeelllllll.” Téa didn't like his tone of voice. “Remember when you brought up her older brother at game night?”

 

She winced. “She already said she was past that.”

 

“When did she say that?” _'Um, about thirty seconds before I shoved her into lockers and almost got us expelled.'_

 

“Not important, Yugi. She doesn't want to share anything. She's content with just being an un-person taking up a chair in class.”

 

“To be honest, I think the way that it seems to bug you is a good thing. You wanting some kind of connection.”

 

“Yugi, you have no idea how little a connection I want with someone like her.”

 

She could hear a muffled voice in the background, and Yugi answering back that he'd be a few more minutes. “Hey, Téa, I gotta go soon. I still have to help my Grandpa unpack some of the inventory.”

 

Téa smiled warmly. “You'd better hurry up, then. You don't want him putting himself in the hospital over a children's card game.”

 

Yugi let out a small laugh. “Anyways, why don't you try talking to Seto about everything? Maybe she can shift her style a bit so it's better for both of you.”

 

She felt her smile droop, and let out a groan. “You keep assuming that she can be reasoned with. She'll probably just get pissy that I can't learn at her rate.”

 

“Worth of a shot. Got to go, see you tomorrow! Good night!” Téa echoed a good bye back before ending the call. She relaxed on her bed, putting off putting the phone back in it's cradle downstairs. She felt so tired, there were just so many things for her to be stressed out about.

 

Losing a dance class a week still felt like a blow. Her parents were adamant on it, and with her schedule being scaled back, it was either that or lose more hours at work, and she couldn't afford to do the latter.

 

She remembered her parents meeting with Ms Valentine the first class she was back at the studio. It had been a tense, embarrassing conversation for Téa to have to listen to. She had wanted to avoid letting her find out about her trouble at school for as long as possible, since she valued Ms Valentine's opinion of her. Still, she probably would have eventually found out.

 

The worst part of it wasn't just the disappointed looks directed at her from Ms Valentine, but how Ms Valentine had been willing to reduce her class fees to reflect her fewer lessons. She knew that Téa paid for the class herself out of her own money earned from working at Burger World. Her parents had refused, and even stated that they would be taking over paying for Téa's classes so she wouldn't have to work as hard.

 

Just thinking about the memory made her guts clench. She had worked so hard to support herself, earning enough money for the classes and her savings. Her parents already did enough for her, she hadn't wanted to burden them with her passion. Knowing that her parents would be paying extra out of pride made her feel frustrated and guilty.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The next week has the girls back in Mr Wolfe's office. The principal seemed to have better things to do.

 

Yet again.

 

“So, you see,” he was shuffling some papers around his desk with a nervous air, “after today you won't be able to use the library anymore. Mrs Anderson said that it was an unfair burden on her already busy workload.”

 

Seto and Téa exchanged quick glances, and turned back to the vice principal. From the look on his face, it seemed to pain him to repeat such an obvious lie. “All we ever asked her was to sign off on our forms.” Seto said quietly. “We made efforts not to draw undue attention to ourselves.”

 

“Oh, and I believe you, Miss Kaiba.” The man reassured her. “It's just that, well.” He ends in a shrug, looking more than a little embarrassed for his colleague.

 

Along with Ms Davey, the librarian was not one of Téa's favorite teachers. She had rarely ever looked up from whatever magazine she was reading while at her station, and the two girls could've had a repeat of their locker room performance and Mrs Anderson wouldn't have noticed.

 

“As is such, we'll have to find a new location, one that will also have a responsible-” Téa fought back an eye roll, “adult to watch over you. Do you girls have any ideas in mind?” His tone was as bright and cheery as ever, as if waiting for them to say 'no' so he could unleash a barrage of helpful ideas.

 

Téa thought it over. Using her home was always an option. She wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of the other girl in the place she called home, but it seemed a much better idea than letting Seto bring up her own home. Who knew what kind of place that could be? Anything that produced a person like Seto was probably best to be avoided.

 

She raised her hand tentatively.

 

“Yes, Miss Gardner!”

 

“My family's house is another option, but this is a bad week. Their work schedules are kind of inconvenient.”

 

Mr Wolfe looked thoughtful. “Well, you are going to need to have an approved adult there, and I wouldn't feel comfortable assigning you two to meetings late at night.”

 

“My brother's office.” Seto said bluntly. Mr Wolfe and Téa shifted their eyes back at the other girl. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, like she wasn't happy with her own idea. “There are computers we could use for research, and just bring our books along with us. He isn't always there, but he has staff members who would be willing to sign off. It's a practical choice.”

 

That is was a choice from Seto Kaiba made Téa want to protest it just because, but Mr Wolfe seemed relived by the idea. “Well, then that saves us a lot of trouble! Miss Kaiba, how would the two of you be arriving there? I need to know that both of you will be able to access this location easily.”

 

Seto let out a sound suspiciously like a huff. “My driver would take us from the school, and drive her home. It would be an efficient solution.”

 

He looked delighted. “Sounds good. I'll run it by the principal today, but I'm pretty sure it will be approved. Miss Gardner, is this plan alright with you?”

 

Knowing a losing battle when she saw one, Téa just nodded.

 

She had until Wednesday to brace herself for being in a stuffy office, how bad could it be?

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It turned out, exceptionally bad.

 

Knowing that Seto was going to have a driver take them to her brother's office annoyed Téa out of principal. As long as it was close enough, taking the bus or biking would work just as fine. No need to show off her money. She she told Seto about it, but the other girl had just given her a look and said that the bike could always go in the trunk of the car if it really meant that much to her. Téa wondered if she was deliberately misunderstanding her question.

 

When the car showed up after school, the sleek black design seemed to ooze money. The driver had politely rebuffed her efforts to help fold her bike to fit in the trunk. Téa's mom had offered to drive her in the morning, but Téa felt better knowing that her bike would be close at hand should she need to make a quick exit. She didn't feel comfortable depending on Seto and her money to get her home.

 

The ride itself was uneventful enough. Seto didn't want to talk to Téa, Téa didn't want to talk to her, it worked out pretty well. Téa pulled at some of the loose strings from her backpack, discreetly letting them fall on the car floor. Seto was too occupied with fiddling and frowning at her phone to notice. It probably would have been a good time to make use of Yugi's theory and try to talk to Seto about something, anything.

 

Téa's teeth worried her bottom lip. If anything important to Seto was off limits, and anything else not worthy of conversation, then what was there to talk about?

 

“Why do you dress like that?”

 

Nice, comments that could be interpreted as insults were always a safe choice.

 

Seto tapped away a few seconds more, then paused. She looked over at Téa warily. “Did you want to clarify that?”

 

Téa scooted her backpack off of her lap, and turned towards Seto. She gestured with her hand at Seto's body. “Like that. You dress like a substitute teacher more than a student.”

 

And not necessarily a bad looking one, just an extremely boringly dressed one. The weather was starting to cool down, so Seto seemed perpetually trapped in dull sweaters or collared shirts She even wore blazers sometimes, fitting proof that she was not born on Earth. That day’s ensemble was a devastatingly bland black turtleneck paired with beige slacks. Her gray sweater was folded neatly next to her, a sacrifice to the unusual warmth of the day. If she even owned something resembling jeans, she apparently wouldn't be caught dead wearing them at school. She’d probably com bust once they touched her skin.

 

Another moment passed, and Seto went from glaring at Téa to glaring back at her phone. Too bad Téa didn't feel like being ignored so easily.

 

“Like, no offense, but I thought you were a guy on the first day.” And that glare was back on Téa. “You’re just really tall, and you're not devastatingly feminine. No offense.”

 

She was prepared for Seto to go back to ignoring her, and waited to her the clicking of the little plastic keys to resume. “I’m planning on cutting my hair short.”

 

Huh?

 

“Did you actually give me an answer?” Téa blurted out without thinking. At least Seto's glare this time was mixed with a hint of confusion. “I mean, do you like it short?” Not that Téa even remotely cared, but if she was getting answers out of Seto, she might as well milk it for all it was worth.

 

The other girl shrugged. “I don't really care. It's just hair, I like it out of the way. Be more practical.” And Téa conceded that that was a fair enough answer. Seto's wasn’t much shorter than her own. Her mom trimmed it regularly to keep it out of her face for dance practice. How Ms Valentine could handle getting smacked in the face so often by errant curls was a mystery for her.

 

“Probably for the best.” Ah, another winning comment.

 

The phone snapped shut. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

 

“Hey, relax, I didn't mean anything by it.” Téa countered. “It's just, you'd look so weird if you had longer hair. You'd look girly, kind of like when you wear your gym uniform.” And yeah, she did kind of look girly in the short and t shirts they had to wear for class. The only time she didn’t see her in pants.

 

Not that she cared.

 

“How does any of this have to do with your chemistry grade?” Seto pointed out, getting annoyed by the new tangent of the conversation.

 

“It doesn't. It's just,” Téa looked away for a moment, “you're really hard to talk to. It was like talking to a robot back in the library. Not even a funny one.”

 

Silence sat between the girls are the car drove on.

 

“I'm just trying to help you, you know. I'm not there to entertain you.” Seto said, breaking the silence.

 

Téa brushed some of her hair out of her face. “I know. And I know that you know what you're doing. You read all of that stuff like you were born knowing it or something.”

 

Seto's face pinched for a moment, but it passed. “I like the applied sciences. There's an orderliness to them. Besides, I've hard more intense instruction on them.... _before_.” She didn't say the name of her old school, and Téa didn't feel like pressing her for it. It already felt a bit like a confession, and Téa wasn't sure what to do with the information.

 

“Oh, cool.” She went back to picking loose threads out of her backpack. “I like history. Connecting things into a story helps it make sense.”

 

A small nod was all she got out of Seto with that. The two girls spent the rest of the ride in silence, the air between them more tense, but less awkward. After what felt like forever, they finally reached their destination. If Téa hadn't still been so distracted by the little heart to heart she just had with Seto, she would've realized just what part of town they had been driving into.

 

“We're here, Miss Kaiba.” The driver announced from the front seat as he slowed down, turning off of the street into what seemed like a massive driveway. Looking out the window, Téa could see they were deep downtown, with flashy buildings towering over them, all of the glass lighting up in the afternoon sun. And the place where they were heading to seemed like the biggest building of them all. She caught a glimpse of the tower's name and started to read it. She stopped.

 

No fucking way.

 

She spun in her seat, fixing Seto with an accusing look. For her part, Seto just lifted an eyebrow at her. ' _What?_ ' she mouthed at Téa.

 

What?

_What?_

 

_Like she didn't know what!_

 

The car finally stopped in front of the goddamn Kaiba Corporation headquarters. **THE** Kaiba Corp. The electronics, medicine, and everything in between company that was the biggest thing Domino City had to offer.

 

Seto Kaiba.

Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation.

Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation whose head she had tried to smack into a bench.

 

The car door next to Téa opened suddenly, startling her. “Excuse me, miss.” The driver said politely, and he waited for her to collect her things before exiting the car. She gave him a muffled ' _thanks_ ' in return.

 

Seto had already gotten out of the car and was waiting closer to the entrance of the building. “We don't have all day.”

 

Grumbling, Téa scrambled after her.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Back in middle school, she had gone with her class on a field trip to Kaiba Corp headquarters. It wasn't as flashy as a trip to a theme park or the zoo, but the big, glittering building had been exciting none the less. She had already been friends with Yugi back then, and Joey and Tristan were slowly reentering the sphere of their lives in a more positive way than before.

 

At the end of the all, what she found out about Kaiba Corp was A) it was worth more money than probably the rest of Domino City combined, and B) she had no idea of what they actually did to deserve all of that money. After her field trip, that glittery building had felt infinitely less exciting. Less pretty.

 

Back in the present, Téa found herself trailing after Seto, who confidently and clearly made her way through the front lobby. Téa couldn't remember if it was the same as it was one she last visited, or if her class even came through that entrance. They (Seto) were being trailed by some suits who had been waiting for them (Seto) at the door. Wherever Seto went, she was met with choruses of “Hello, Miss Kaiba” or “Welcome, Miss Kaiba”. Téa could feel her shoulders hunching as she followed the taller girl.

 

Finally, they were met by a woman in a very pretty, very expensive looking dress suit who had a very nice professional looking smile aimed straight at Seto. She didn't even seem to register Téa as she held her arms out to Seto.

 

“Miss Kaiba, welcome! It's so wonderful to see you again, you must have grown taller since I've last seen you.” She brought her hands back in front of her, and her face shifted into a more apologetic one. “I'm sorry to tell you this, but your older brother is away right now. He had to step out for a meeting, and we're not quite sure when he'll be back. Will you be alright?” A look of sweet concern shifted onto her face.

 

Téa felt a little glad that this too-happy lady had all of her attention focused on Seto. Just something about the cheerful intensity in her face that made her uncomfortable.

 

Not Seto, apparently. She flicked her wrist as if to brush off the other woman's 'concern'. “What are the arrangements for the space we require? He should have already told you about them.” Téa glanced at Seto's face. She didn't seem to even care that her brother wasn't going to be there.

 

_'And she was always so sensitive about him too...'_

 

“Yes, Miss Kaiba, we already have a room prepared for you. It had all the materials he listed, but please let us know if you need anything else. Would you like any food prepared for you or your, guest?”

 

Téa wanted to take offense at that pause, but she really preferred having Seto deal with this lady instead. “Water is fine. I'm not hungry.” She paused and looked over at Téa. Téa shared back at her. A beat.

 

“Is there something on my face or something?”

 

Seto gave her an annoyed look, and the too happy lady continued to look professionally cheerful. “Did you want something to eat? Drink?”

 

“Oh.” Téa muttered. “Um, water for me too. I'm not hungry.” She actually was a little hungry, but she really didn't feel comfortable asking for anything in that weird, shiny place.

 

“Miss Kaiba, please, allow me to show you the way.” The woman lead them to an elevator that seemed to go up forever. After that, a hallway and then being ushered into some room. Téa was relieved to find that it was relatively comfortable looking, less stark whites and silvers and more natural colors. A desk, chairs, a computer, a couple of tables, it looked like a cross between a conference room and an office.

 

“You can put your bag over on the table.” Seto's voice startled Téa. She turned and saw the other girl closing the door behind her, easing her own bag off her shoulders. If she noticed how jumpy or uncomfortable Téa was, she didn't seem to notice. Or care.

 

She sat down at one of the tables, and Téa quickly followed after her, dropping her backpack full of books on the floor. The carpet muffled the sound, which Téa found a little disappointing.

 

“Why did hell didn't you tell me this?”

 

Seto looked up from flipping through one of her notebooks. “What are you talking about? Shouldn't you be getting your books out?”

 

“Can you just stop it?” Téa hissed, yanking her textbook and notebook out of her bag. “You never said who you actually were.”

 

Seto's face was cautiously blank. “You always knew who I was. Didn't you know my name from the beginning? You hear my name during roll call in homeroom.”

 

“Well, I didn't realize that the class ' _Seto Kaiba_ ' was the ' _Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation_ '. Why are you even at our school?”

 

“Are we really going to go into this again? I'm there, we're here now, we have work to do, that's all that matters.” Seto was seriously starting to lose her patience at that point.

 

“The fact that you don't realize what the difference is pisses me off.”

 

Seto looked ready to throw a pen at Téa, but held back. She took a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself. “Besides, I'm not ' _Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation_ ', as you put it; I'm ' _Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba_ family'. Now hurry up and get over it.”

 

Any response Téa had was lost at the knock at the door, followed by a different but equally overly-happy looking KC employee. Their drinks were set down, and the girls proceeded to get on with their session without revisiting the topic.

 

Even though she didn't ask any more questions, so many more were burning inside of her chest. _'What was going on with this girl?'_

 

_'Why did Seto have to keep being such a sore spot in her life?'_

 

The hour couldn't pass fast enough for Téa. She had been checking her watch discreetly up until the last minute, and once the hour was up she started shoving her books and notebooks back into her bag.

 

“If we can't use the library anymore, we're just going to have to make do with what we have.” Seto hadn't even looked up from where she was writing down notes. “We just need to work through this.”

 

Téa ignored her. Zipping her bag up, she slung it up over her shoulder, heading for the door.

 

“You should wait for one of the assistants. They'll lead you out, if you need a ride or just want your bike back.”

 

“I don't need help finding the elevator.” Téa huffed, eager to get home as soon as possible.

 

Still looking at her notes, Seto tilted her head. “But you'll need a card key to access that elevator. Don't be difficult.”

 

That was almost funny coming from Seto. Still, Téa waited as the other girl kept writing, and soon the same KC employee who brought their drinks was at the door, cheerfully ready to guide Téa out of the building.

 

If it hadn't been for the distance, Téa would've been fine biking home, especially since she didn't have dance practice that night. As it was, she let herself be driven home anyways, the rich feeling of the car suffocating as she waited for the ride to end.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“You're always full of surprises, you know.”

 

Ryou peered over his cards, jotting down another note on his detective sheet. Seto knew he had aimed that sentence at her, but didn't give him the satisfaction of asking for clarification.

 

Yugi did that for her instead.

 

“There are probably nicer ways to say that, you know.” He said mildly, fidgeting with his own cards as he waited for Ryou to finish his turn. Ryou only shrugged.

 

“Nicer? Maybe. But as honest? Probably not. And certainly not more efficient. Besides, that's not an insult, Seto. There are way worse things to be full of.”

 

“As you like to remind everyone.” She replied dryly. Ryou seemed to be taking the game hostage, refusing to end his turn until he got what he wanted. Not for the last time she cursed Noah for making her keep showing up to the club. The week before had been awkward enough seeing them again. Now Ryou was back to being annoying.

 

“Doesn't make it any less true!” He added cheerfully. “But I was wondering when you were going to let people know that they were going to school with Domino royalty.”

 

“I remember you saying something about no-backstories.” Which, she supposed, was only as true as long as the boy wasn't curious. “Just end your turn so Yugi can go.”

 

“I will, I will. I just need a little more time to think. Rushing me is poor form, it's like you don't want me to win this game.” He was holding his yellow pawn, moving it to and fro without actually setting it down and ending his turn.

 

“So is stalling.”

 

“So rude, Yugi. I would never. I was just wondering a few things about our dearest friend.” The pinched look on Seto's face was back, and his smile only got bigger. He cupped his hand around his mouth for a stage whisper. “If it makes you feel any better, I already knew. Before Téa told everyone.”

 

Seto kept her breathing even. She still didn't understand what was up with the other girl. The day after their Wednesday meeting, Téa had insisted that they reschedule their Thursday meeting, going on and on about having to do something with her parents until the vice principal had approved the switch to Saturday at Téa's house.

 

_Saturday. This Saturday of all Saturdays, no less._

 

That she had been talking about her to her little group of friends annoyed her even if it didn't surprise her. While she had been bracing for line after line of stupid questions when she showed up for the Friday Game Club meeting, no one had mentioned anything until halfway through the first game.

 

“Whatever, Ryou.” Yugi said dismissively. Seto was, _satisfied_ that at least he wasn't acting like it was such a big deal.

 

“I read newspapers, you know. And Kaiba isn't exactly a common name or anything. And you even look like the CEO/president/big brother of grumps.”

 

“I do not.” Seto said darkly. “End your damn turn.”

 

“Pushy, pushy.” Ryou finally settled on a space to drop his pawn onto. “Do you talk like this to Téa too? No wonder her chem grades still suck.”

 

And just how much did Téa tell her little friends about what was going on?

 

And let the record show that judging on Téa's last quiz score, her grades were _improving_.

 

“I am not here to discuss anything between me and your mutual friend. Ask her, since she talks so much.”

 

“We always talk about things together, we're not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, Seto.” Yugi looked sincere as he spoke. “I know it's kind of a weird issue. The rest of us don't have to talk about it.”

 

“I kind of want to talk about it.” Ryou whined. “Especially since you'll be visiting her house. I haven't even been there in ages, it's like her parents don't like me.”

 

“Why do you even ask me if you already know everything?” Seto replied crankily. Yugi was checking over his own detective sheet before moving his piece, ending his turn. She threw the die with a little more force than necessary.

 

“Because it's more fun when you share it!”

 

Yugi gave an apologetic look to Seto. He probably wouldn't have had to do it that often if he didn't have so many irritating friends.

 

“Do you think she's going to visit your house too? I'm sure the school will be happy once the two of you are very best friends. You could braid each other's hair and talking about getting into fights with boys or something.”

 

She moved her blue pawn 5 spaces and out of the lounge. “I would prefer not. Besides, working at my brother's office was fine. I don't know what she was so worked up over.”

 

“Maybe it's because by ' _office_ ', you meant ' _entire_ _multi-million dollar_ _building_ '?” Yugi answered cautiously.

 

“Did your brother babysit you two? When do we get to meet him?”

 

“It's your turn, you know.”

 

Sighing, Ryou rolled the die, and made a face when he got a three. “And he wasn't there. There were security cameras in the room, we were being monitored at all times. It was within the school's guidelines.”

 

“Christ, that's creepy.” said Ryou. The other boy didn't look thrilled at the idea either. “Maybe it was all a little much for Téa to take in all at once? You aren't exactly known for having a gentle bedside manner, did she look like she was uncomfortable?”

 

“It's not like I like going there either. We can't use the library anymore.” Seto was getting tired of defending her choice. Where else were they going to go? Visiting the home of the person who almost got her (and still might) expelled sat uneasily with her.

 

“Why not?” Ryou asked. “It's got your name on it. Shouldn't it feel like a home away from home?”

 

Seto shook her head. _'People just didn't get it.'_

 

“It's not mine. None of it's mine. The name isn't even mine. Why can't anyone understand that?”

 

Yugi look troubled. “What do you mean, Seto? It's your family.”

 

She looked at the two of them. Even Ryou's typically annoying face looked a little more concerned than usual. She was tired. All of this was just so exhausting. Finally, she decided to try and make her point a little clearer.

 

“It's like this: I'm not rich. My older brother is. Everything is _his_.” She pulled at her shirt collar. “From my clothes to the entire company, everything is either his or paid for by his money. That's why I don't like people freaking out whenever they figure out I'm one of ' _those_ ' Kaibas. I was adopted into the family anyways, we're not even blood.”

 

“Oh.” Yugi said quietly. Ryou looked thoughtful, and then nodded his head. “Ah. I get it. Same thing.”

 

He moved his yellow pawn and had it enter the kitchen. “Mrs White with the dagger in the kitchen.” Seto shook her head, but Yugi revealed his dagger card. They all added more checks to their detective sheets. “My dad's pretty well off too. He's always away on excavations in some far off country. Egypt, Jordan, Oman, places like that. Me? I'm left in his big ass apartment with all of this stuff. TV, games, all the delivery food I can eat. I can buy stuff with his money, use his stuff, but none of it is actually mine.”

 

He looked up at Seto. “It feels weird, right? And not in a fun way.” He tapped his chin, “Temporary.”

 

She held his gaze for a moment, and gave him the briefest of nods. _Weird_ was a word for it. _Fundamentally and utterly uncomfortable_ would have been a better way to phrase it, but _temporary_ was probably best. It felt like she was borrowing a way of life, and at some point was going to have to give it back. The only thing she didn't know was when.

 

“Okay, I guess you being weird makes sense then. Like some accountant sibling to a movie star who just wants to do people's taxes in peace without people trying to get an autograph.” He handed the die over to Yugi, who took his turn.

 

“Not quite, but, somewhat. It's not....something I'm very comfortable with.” She was embarrassed as soon as she admitted it out loud, and pointedly refused to look up from her cards.

 

“But Seto, who your brother is doesn't matter to us, we're your friends.” She ended up looking up again to give Yugi a long suffering look anyways, though to his credit he didn't back down.

 

“I think what Yugi really means is that we're all gamers, which is all that really matters, deep down.” Ryou clarified unnecessarily. “Even if some of us are gamers with questionable and tragically bad tastes.” Yugi rolled his eyes, and Seto took her own turn feeling a little better.

 

She mulled over thoughts of her brother as the game continued on.

 

“HA!” Ryou slammed his pawn into the table ten minutes later. “I've finally got it!”

 

“Really? Do share.” Seto said quietly, schooling her face into one of complete nonchalance.

 

“Oh, you two thought you could fool me, didn't you? But a true hero rose up in the end! I had solved this crime!” With a flourish he lifted the little envelope into the air. “Brace yourselves, for here is the truth. FOR IT WAS MRS WHITE WITH A CANDLESTICK IN THE DINING ROOM!”

 

Yugi let out a groan of defeat as Ryou continued to laugh boisterously. A passing teacher ended up popping in their head to shush him, though he picked up again once the teacher had left. Seto let him continue on for a minute, enjoying the show, before she spoke up.

 

“No.”

 

The air seemed to whoosh out of Ryou's lungs, bringing him back to Earth. He eyed her suspiciously. “What do you mean, ' _no_ '? That has to be the answer! I'm positive.”

 

“Okay.” Seto said calmly. “Just check the envelope.”

 

Puffing out his cheeks like an idiot, Ryou sat back in his seat, and peaked into the envelope. He looked. He kept looking. He looked up at Seto.

 

“Take your turn, Yugi.” Meekly, he rolled a two. He was still stuck outside of the dining room. He handed the die over to Seto. She rolled a four and entered the study. “Mrs White with a candlestick in the study.”

 

Ryou dropped his head down onto the table with a loud thud. Yugi clapped, not particularly minding seeing Ryou lose. “Not bad for a first time, hm?”

 

She offered him a slight smile. “Not that bad at all. For all of the theatricality, the game is very logic based. You could even say that it's-”

 

“NO!” Ryou's head was off of the table, and pointed an accusing finger at Seto. “Don't you dare profane my murder mystery game with lies and slander!”

 

She held out her hands to him with a shrug. “I like the strategy aspects just fine. I wouldn't mind playing this one again.”

 

As Ryou's over anguished cries were muted with Yugi covering his head with the box from the game, Seto felt a little more at peace. She even felt like she could give doing things on Téa's terms a try.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Téa regretted with every fiber of her being convincing the vice principal to let her have a session at her house.

 

It was October 25th, Saturday morning, and she was rushing between the kitchen and the living room, trying to tidying everything in order. There were a million reasons why Téa did not want Seto Kaiba anywhere near her home, and even one of them should have been enough. Sure, having rich girl's money shoved in her face sucked, and hanging out in the frickin' Kaiba Corp headquarters felt like being in a dreamworld edging towards a nightmare, but still!

 

Just because she was a little uncomfortable, now Seto was going to be in her house. Her home. Hers! The safest of all safe zones, the one place where Téa never should have to feel small.

 

She rearranged the cushions on the sofa. Normally soft and inviting, in the morning light they seemed dull and shabby. She had already vacuumed the carpet and rugs, dusted everything she could get her hands on, and she kept feeling like there were even more things she had to take care of, if only she could remember.

 

Téa felt something being draped on her head. Pulling it off, it was one of her sweaters that had been missing.

 

“It was sitting in the kitchen since Wednesday. I already washed it, I think it wants to go back in your room.” Her father teased lightly. He had just come back up from the basement where he had been doing laundry. She could hear her mother busy in the kitchen.

 

“Thanks.” She said, smiling at her dad before rushing up the stairs. She could hear the muffled 'Stop running, Téa!' float up from the kitchen as she made her way to the second floor. Stepping into her room, she quickly hung her sweater up before dashing back out again. It wasn't like Seto was going to be going upstairs anyways, she didn't have to worry about her laughing about her room's styling choices.

 

Back downstairs, she made a quick survey of the living room again. Yep, everything still in order, everything-

 

She hurried over to the walls, looking at all of the pictures of herself her parents had over the years. Her hands were out, fingers twitching, wondering if her parents would mind the frames 'accidentally' ending up somewhere in the basement until the day was over.

 

“Téa Ann Gardner, step away from those pictures right now!”

 

Téa froze. Guiltily, she looked over her shoulder. Her mom was wearing her favorite apron and wielding a serving spoon like a weapon. “Haven't you done enough fussing in this room already? If you really wanted to tidy up the house, you could mow the lawn.”

 

“But Mom, come on, I already did that on Thursday.”

 

“Yes, because you missed your little study session. Which we're having here today, whether you like it or not.”

 

A lesser daughter would have sulked. Téa managed not to, just barely.

 

“I just couldn't focus at that other place. If you were there, you'd understand.”

 

“And I wasn't, and all I understand is that you're fussing about all for nothing. You two are just going to go over your books, it can't be _that_ painful.”

 

Being anywhere near Seto was painful for Téa, but she figured her mom didn't want to hear that.

 

“And after that, we're having lunch!” Her mother said in a sing-song voice. Téa held back a groan.

 

“Don't make a face like that! I can cook just as well as your father, don't you worry about that.”

 

“Mom, does she really have to stay over for lunch? It only has to be an hour, and it's not like we're friends.” Her mom gave her a look.

 

“You know, I've been talking to her brother on the phone a lot since this all started. And him? A nice young man. And since we've been talking, it seems more and more like she is a nice girl just like you, from a nice family,” Téa wanted to gag, “and you two just had a little spat that got out of control. Does that sound familiar, Téa?”

 

Now Téa was pulling a face. “Mom, let's not go into-”

 

“I remember not so long ago getting phone calls from the parents of a couple of boys, saying that our daughter got into a fight with them. Isn't that true, my darling wife?” Her father said, coming back upstairs with another load of clean laundry in his arms.

 

“That's right, dear husband,” her mother answered, cupping his cheek with her free hand. “Not just that she got into a fight, but won.”

 

“Which is besides the point.” He answered back. “Joey and Tristan turned out to be good boys, and even better friends, right honey?” He looked over at Téa. “No one is trying to make you make friends, honey. But we,” he tilted his head towards his wife, “think that the more positive interactions you two have, the easier the rest of this year will be for you both.”

 

He went up the stairs, leaving mother and daughter together. “Besides, isn't it nice to have extra help with your classes? From what Noah said, she is an excellent student, I'm sure she can help.”

 

“Sure.” Téa said, unconvinced. Actually, she had scored better on the last two quizzes she had had in her chemistry class, and their current unit on bonds was starting to make real sense, but she didn't want to give Seto credit for it. Even if she deserved it.

 

_Especially_ then.

 

“And I'm still interested in meeting this girl. You never want to talk about her, and I'm sure her brother would like to meet you too!”

 

Why in a thousand years would he want to? Besides, from Seto's attitude at his office, it didn't seem like they were that close anyways.

 

“Think of this as an opportunity honey, not a punishment. Besides, this was your idea, so turn that frown upside down and help your mother in the kitchen. Please finish cutting up the potatoes, please.”

 

Still grumbling to herself, Téa followed her mom into the kitchen and put her nervous energy to some actual use.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

A car pulled up at exactly 11:00 am, and Téa could easily recognize it as the same one that had taken her to Kaiba Corp just a few days before. Seto exchanged a few words with her driver, probably telling him when to pick her up or commenting about the shabbiness of the house, and then made her way to the front door. Téa's parents were waiting inside to welcome their guest. Téa hung back behind her dad, trying not to look like she was sulking.

 

“Good morning! It's so nice to finally meet you.” To her credit, Seto seemed as uncomfortable being greeted warmly by Téa's parents as Téa was to have them act that way. At the end of the day, both girls had almost gotten each other expelled. It wasn't like Seto was so innocent for fighting back. Kind of.

 

“Was that your brother outside? He could have come in, had some coffee with us.” Shucking off her jacket, Seto shook her head. “No, that was a driver. My brother is at the office this morning.”

 

“Oh,” Téa's mother said, “He'll have to drop by one day.” Seto didn't seem to know what to say at that either, and Téa's father just ushered her into the living room. “You girls can get settled here, Téa's mother and I will be in the kitchen a bit longer getting lunch ready. Is there anything you two wanted to drink?”

 

“Water, please.” Seto said, standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room like she'd never been in one before. “Same for me.” Téa said, moving towards one of chairs near the coffee table. She gestured for Seto to sit on the sofa.

 

The taller girl sat down gingerly, and privately Téa wondered if she was worried about contracting any germs from the sofa. Or if the tired, old state it was in offend her on some stupid rich person level.

 

_'Focus, Téa, focus.'_

 

“Um.” Téa is pulled out of her thoughts. “I thought I would only be here for the hour. If I knew this would conflict with your meal time I would have suggested a different time.” An awkward sentence for an awkward girl.

 

Téa shrugged. “They don't think it's a big deal. I wouldn't worry about it.”

 

Seto let out a short huff of breath. “Still, it's the principle of it. I don't want to impose.”

 

“Nonsense!” Téa's mom said, bringing there drinks out. “We already talked about it with your brother, I'm surprised he didn't tell you.” Téa saw Seto's hands tense up in her lap, but the girl didn't say anything. “We'd be delighted if you joined us for lunch.”

 

Seto let out an awkward 'thank you' at that, and satisfied, Téa's mother went back to the kitchen to help her father. Téa finally managed to stop thinking about how much she didn't want Seto there in order to focus.

 

“Can you describe the differences between covalent and polar covalent bonds for me again?” Seto tapped her notebook with a pen. “From what you wrote here, it seems like you're confusing the two again.”

 

Téa sighed, looking up from her worksheet and trying to remember. “Um, let me think. If the electronegativity of two atoms is pretty much the same, a covalent bond will form. But, if the electronegativity is a little it different, a polar covalent bond will form. Right?”

 

Seto nodded, and wrote something else in her notebook. Her handwriting was neat but tiny, and Téa long since stopped trying to read what she wrote in her own notebook. She figured if Seto wanted to make catty comments in the margins, she didn't really care.

 

“That's right, but can you tell me more differences? At least, more characteristics of them?”

Téa listed a few more, and Seto only had to correct her on two of them. Téa's mom kept coming in and out of the room, checking up on them more times than strictly necessary. Seto didn't seem particularly fazed by it after the fourth time, and that made Téa feel a little more comfortable.

 

There was still a little more time before lunch was ready, so she decided to act.

 

“I wanted to say thank you.” Téa said quietly, still looking at her papers. “Thank you for being willing to come here today.”

 

She's not looking at Seto, but she can hear her shift on the couch. “It's no problem.”

 

As much as she didn't want to spend time with her, Téa found herself learning more about the little details of Seto Kaiba. That anything vaguely similar to gratitude made her uncomfortable was one of the more amusing fun facts. Still, she was being honest.

 

She went on. “I know I acted weird on Wednesday. I was just surprised by a lot of things, and because I felt uncomfortable I lashed out a bit. Sorry.”

 

“We don't have to talk about it.” Seto replied. “And it wasn't a big deal. You don't have to be sorry.”

 

“Okay, cool.”

 

They went back to reviewing ionic bonds before Téa's mother came to alert them of lunch. Téa was surprised that her parents didn't ask for any extra help setting things up, but then again they had spent the whole morning acting like it was some sort of holiday meal instead of lunch with the girl Téa got into a fight with. At least she had finally got the hang of hydrogen bonds as well.

 

The kitchen and dining room were merged together, with the dining table and chairs just at the edge of the kitchen. The table was set and the food already spread out. Téa sat herself across from Seto, with her parents at either side of her.

 

All things considered, her parents had really gone all out for lunch. It looked great.

 

“Now, your brother said you didn't have any allergies,” Just how much did her mom talk with Seto's brother? “-and he didn't say that you had any favorite foods. Is that true? I can hardly believe it!”

 

Seto just shook her head. “I really don't mind. I don't like eating that much.”

 

“Ah, dear, no wonder you're so thin. And so tall too! I wonder where you shop.”

 

“You know, our Téa's a dancer.” her father added. “She's always paying attention to what she's eating, and eats constantly to keep up her strength.”

 

“Thanks, Dad.” Téa muttered, playing with her napkin.

 

“It's a compliment, honey. You're very athletic, we're very proud of you. Do you play any sports, Seto?” They were never going to start lunch if Téa's mom was going to keep grilling her guest.

 

“Mom, we need to start, the food will get cold.” Téa interrupted.

 

“Téa's right, we shouldn't keep our guest waiting.” Her father agreed. Ganged up on, Téa's mother gave in.

 

“Alright, alright. Since we didn't know what foods you liked, we made some of Téa's favorites.” She pointed at the different dishes with her fork. “We have some chicken fettuccine alfredo, some potato salad, and broccoli. A good meal for a growing girl.”

 

With everyone served, they finally started digging in. Téa and her parents started off with their pasta, digging through it with vigor. All three of them shared a love of Italian food, and they could never get enough of it. Seto was the lone one delicately nibbling at her potato salad. After years of watching Joey and Tristan (and Ryou, oh god, RYOU) literally tear into their food like there was no tomorrow, it was funny seeing tall, cold Seto Kaiba gingerly bite the little pieces of her salad.

 

“So, tell me dear, do you like sports? Watch any, play any?” Her mom would not be stopped.

 

Seto lowered her fork to answer. “I don't really watch a lot of sports. I don't really like to play any either.”

 

“She likes track.” Téa added, ignoring the look Seto sent her from across the table. “She's always the one still running laps after everyone else quits in gym.”

 

“Is that so?” Téa's father asked. “I did cross country back in high school. Have you ever considered trying out for the team?”

 

Okay, it was kind of fun watching Seto squirm under her parent's good-natured questioning.

 

“It wasn't really something I considered.”

 

“Well, I'm sure the team could use you. No pressure of course. Téa, who's your gym teacher again?”

 

Téa swallowed another bite of chicken and answered. “Coach Howard, dad.” Why couldn't Seto answer? ' _Because she's a_ _ **guest**_ _..._ '

 

“Oh, that one.” said Téa's mother, mood dampening. “Never cared much for him, too rough, too young.”

 

“All of the teachers have to be young at some point, I'm afraid.” Countered her father.

 

Téa's half way done with her pasta, but Seto is still working on her potato salad. She had started branching out to the broccoli, but all of her pasta was just sitting there, waiting to be eaten.

 

“Are you sure there's nothing you like? I can always make it for the next time you're over.” And wasn't her mom assuming a lot. Téa took it back: studying at Kaiba Corp was way more comfortable than studying at home. Creepy assistants beat out having her mom and dad gushing all over their 'guest' any day.

 

Seto was chewing a little bit slowly now, and her movements seemed a little sluggish. “I don't really have a preference. If I had to pick one, I suppose it would beef filet.” Of course rich girl would like something like that. Téa could already she her mom calculating how she would fit it in to their grocery budget.

 

“Salmon is good too. Refreshing...fruits and vegetables are good too.” Huh. Seto must really have been enjoying lunch to be that talkative. Téa looked at her a little closer.

 

“I wish our Téa took more after you in that respect.” Her father answered. “Why, when she was little, we could never-”

 

“What's wrong with your face?”

 

“Téa!” Her mom gasped out. “What's gotten into you?”

 

“Hey, look at me.” Téa snapped her fingers in front of Seto's face. Her eyes seemed out focus, and her breathing was getting faster.

 

“Seto, are you alright?” Téa father finally noticed that something was up too. Even her mother stopped trying to yell at Téa and fixed her attention on Seto. “Dear, is there anything wrong?”

 

Seto looked up, sweat starting to form at her temples. Her palms were flat on the table, and her eyes were glazed. “Where,” She jerked up out of her seat. “Where is your bathroom?”

 

“Here.” Téa's father got up, hurriedly guiding Seto to the bathroom on the first floor. From the table, Téa could hear the door slamming open, followed by the undeniable sounds of Seto retching into the toilet. For a moment, Téa and her mother were silent.

 

With a squeak, her mother stood up, pushing in her chair and walking over towards the sink with heavy strides. Téa looked over at Seto's plate. The pasta had been all but untouched, but all of the potato salad was gone, along with some of the broccoli.

 

“Dammit.” She heard the clang of something glass being dropped into the sink, and looked over at her mother. She had her hands pressed against her face, a miserable look on her face.

 

From the bathroom, she could hear her father's muffled voice and Seto continuing to throw up.

 

“I didn't check the expiration date on the mayonnaise.” Her mother whispered hotly. “Just dammit.” With that, her mother rubbed at her eyes and stalked out of the kitchen, heading towards the phone in the hallway.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It took half an hour for Seto's older brother to come. In the time it took before he arrived, Seto had thrown up 3 more times, her ragged breathing echoing through the bathroom whenever she stopped long enough to breathe.

 

Téa had cleared the table with her mother before guiding her into the living room, seating her on the sofa. As bad as she must of felt, Téa was sure that Seto wouldn't appreciate an even larger audience watching her retch and throw up into the toilet.

 

She got more towels from upstairs when her father asked for them, and spent the rest of the time trying to comfort her mom and getting Seto's bag organized before hearing the doorbell ring. As the only current member of her family who wasn't emotionally compromised or wiping vomit off of a teenager's face, it was up to her to answer it.

 

A handsome, worried face met her outside of the door. He was wearing a nice suit that looked more expensive than her mother's car. He looked over her shoulder. “Hello, Miss Téa? Is my sister alright? I came as soon as I could.”

 

If he really had come from his office, he must have sped all of the way to Téa's house. Looking past him outside, she judged that with a car like that, it probably wouldn't have been hard. She stepped aside, letting him in. “She's in the bathroom, on your right.” He thanked her and rushed over to his sister.

 

“Seto? Seto! I'm here, are you alright?”

 

He was answered with another agonized retch, Seto having already vomited up anything that was in her stomach. Téa's mother looked even more miserable. Téa put a hand on her shoulder, and leaned closer. “Come on, Mom, it's not your fault.”

 

“But it is, Téa. Oh, and things were going so well up to that point.”

 

“All three of us were in the kitchen, and I don't think anyone's used it in months, we all should have noticed.” But her mom didn't look convinced, and Téa knew a losing battle when she saw one.

 

Eventually, the others emerged from the bathroom, Seto between Téa's father and her own brother. Téa always knew that Seto was pretty tall, but her older brother still had a couple of inches on her. Better than her dad trying to support the taller girl on his own.

 

Seto's face was all ashen and sweaty, and her sweater had fallen victim to her rebelling stomach. She was pretty miserable to look at, but from the look on her face as her brother tried to make her lean on him for support, the mayonnaise from the potato salad wasn't the worst part of her day.

 

Téa's mother was on her feet and quick to rush over to them. “I'm so sorry! I don't know how I let this happen, oh Seto, I'm so sorry.”

 

Seto used the arm that wasn't being pressed against her brother to weakly wave her apologies off. “It's okay. It's fine.”

 

Her brother chimed in as well. “Accidents happen. I'm glad I was heading out of the office, I wanted to pick her up anyways. We were planning on going out tonight.” With vomit on her sweater or not, Seto could still make a decent bitchy face whenever her brother was talking.

 

“You had plans for tonight too? Oh, I'm so sorry.” Téa just wanted her mother to stop apologizing. It was an accident, they just happened sometimes.

 

“Yes.” Her brother said, apparently unaware of the faintly murderous look his sister was sending him. Attempting, at least. Her eyes still weren't focusing properly, the normally clear blue all muddled from pain. “It's Seto's birthday today. Mokuba and I were going to take her out for dinner.”

 

“Oh.” Her mom's voice was thick, as if she was on the verge of tears.

 

“It's not a big deal. I didn't, I didn't want to go out anyways.” Seto slurred, and her brother just pulled her tighter against him.

 

“Thanks for taking care of her, I'll be getting her home now.” He nodded at her parents, a grateful look on his face. Handshakes were out of the question as he tried to maneuver his sister out of the door. Téa followed with Seto's bag in her hands, her parents not far behind her.

 

“Oh, happy birthday Seto. I'm so sorry that this happened.” Her mother was still wringing her hands, her father's hands on her shoulders trying to comfort her.

 

“We'll talk to you soon, take care.” Seto's brother opened to passenger with one hand, tossing Seto's bag into the backseat after Téa handed it to him. “Seto, say goodbye to the Gardners, please.”

 

She answered by vomiting again, that time all over his suit.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“She just wouldn't stop throwing up.”

 

“Ugh, remind me to never eat your mom's cooking again.”

 

Téa kicked Joey under the table, hearing a satisfying yelp as her foot connected. He swung his legs to the over side of the bench to escape her wrath.

 

“Isn't your dad the one that usually cooks anyways?” Tristan asked, careful not to get her wrath directed at him instead.

 

“Yeah, but she likes to too, and she was excited to cook for someone new. It wasn't her fault, none of us noticed that it had expired.”

 

“Eh, tough luck.” It was lunchtime on Monday, and Téa was recounting the miseries of her weekend. Her mother had been so full of guilt, she spent most of the time clearing nonexistent weeds out of her garden when she wasn't moping inside. Téa and her father had done the best they could to raise her spirits, but no avail.

 

“I hope Seto's alright.” Yugi said, his brow furrowed. “Food poisoning is pretty terrible.”

 

“Hey, look on the bright side, Téa!” Whatever he was about to say, the way he was perched at the edge of his seat suggested that she might not agree. “At least the rest of you didn't eat the potato salad. Then all of you would've been puking up a storm.”

 

Téa slunk down in her seat, and was able to just barely reach Joey with her foot, successfully shoving him off of the bench and onto the floor.

 

“And you know what the 'best' part was?”

 

“The part when she threw up on her brother?”

 

“That was a highlight, Joey but no.” She leaned in closer, and the others moved in to listen. “It was her _birthday_ too. She and her family had plans for after, and instead she spent it puking her guts up.”

 

“Ah man, really? We would have done something at Game Club if we had known.” Yugi said, and Téa rounded on him. “You're completely missing the point. Not only did I complain until we got the meeting location switched, but then she gets food poisoning at _my_ house on _her_ birthday. She’s probably in Mr Wolfe’s office right now, going on and on about the evil girl who's out to ruin her life.”

 

“Wait one moment.” Joey got a serious look on his face. “You mean you _aren't_ trying to ruin her life?”

 

Yugi held his head in his hands as Joey bolted away from the table, with Téa in hot pursuit.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It was a nice office.

 

Not as big or glitzy as the ones at Kaiba Corp, no, but there was an understated elegance that seemed to permeate throughout the room. In the early afternoon light, it was almost cozy.

 

He stretched out along the couch, his shoes long since discarded. His long body couldn't quite fit comfortably, but he made due, shifting about until he found just the right spot. From the desk, he heard a disapproving 'humph', one he had long been used to hearing. He continued on with his story.

 

“And she wouldn't come out of her room for the rest of the night. Mokuba ended up eating her cake with her on her bedroom floor. She wasn't eating, mind you, he ate all of it. It's what she wanted, you know.”

 

He moved on to looking at the ceiling tiles. They weren't very exciting, but the colors complimented the rest of the room's color scheme. It was a nice choice, especially for anyone laying on the couch like he was.

 

“Do you really think I care if she ate the cake or not?”

 

He frowned, and turned over towards the desk. The woman sitting there was reading through some papers, glasses falling down her nose just a bit. She had the look of complete relaxed peacefulness, though in the past ten years that he'd known her, she had never been relaxed a single day in her life.

 

It was part of her charm.

 

“Of course! It's important! She didn't get to eat her own birthday cake on her birthday! Don't you see what a problem this is? And it was her favorite too!”

 

“Really?” Ishizu said dryly. “Does she even have a favorite cake?”

 

He pulled a face. “Not really, but it's the one that she picked this year, she must have been looking forward to it.”

 

“Last time I checked, your little sister didn't like anything.”

 

Noah groaned and rolled back on his back. “It's just the principal of the matter, Ishizu. The birthday person not being able to eat their own cake on their birthday, it's a travesty. We'll have to wait another year for her to get another chance!”

 

“And will you be in here whining about it then too? You know, I have a very busy schedule. I can't just listen to you whine about your sister when I have actual work to do.”

 

“Hey, I scheduled an appointment with you ages ago! And I'm paying ten times your hourly fee!”

 

“I think I deserve a lot more than that to listen to your sister complex.”

 

He kicked his legs on the couch, dislodging a pillow. “You're so mean! I come to you in my hour of need and you spurn me like this, how cold, how cruel.”

 

She looked at him from over the rim of her glasses. “You know, there is at least one person we both know who could listen to your problems and probably wouldn't tell you to shut up nearly as much.”

 

“Yeah, I know, but she's really busy with work right now.”

 

“Well so am I I’m a lawyer, not a therapist!”

 

“But she told me that you were just pretending to be busy and were hiding in your office.”

 

She felt her eye twitch. When that meeting was over, she and that ' _special someone_ ' were going to have words.

 

“Besides,” he fluttered his lashes at her, “are you really going to tell me that listening to me is so much worse than having a bunch of guilty people lying about stealing inheritances and the like?”

 

“You know I mainly deal with copyright lawsuits. It's not that exciting, but it's typically a lot less irritating than you.”

 

He clutched at his heart. “You wound me. All I want to do it talk to my oldest and dearest and did I mention oldest friend.”

 

“Since you have only two friends, that statement loses some of its impact.”

 

And maybe that was true, but to have such good friends was something to celebrate!

 

“I had lots of friends back in university, you know.”

 

She scoffed. “You had a bunch of people hanging around you trying to get at your money. They don’t count.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

University had been a nightmare because of that boy.

 

Everything else in her life up to that point had been relatively smooth sailings. She had been ten when her mother had finally had enough and divorced her controlling husband, bringing Ishizu and her brothers to a new city where she had to restart her life.

 

Her mother had done well for herself, using connections from work to provide a comfortable life for her family. Ishizu had breezed her way through public schools, and had finished her undergraduate degree before she turned 20. As fate would have it, it was when she was entering law school that her path would be darkened by such a blight.

 

Through one of her endless business connections, her mother had somehow known the boy's father. A wretched man, she had told Ishizu privately, but a very, very useful contact, and her mother was never one to pass up a good business opportunity.

 

_'Ishizu, dear, he has a son your age.'_ Hardly! _'He'll be going to your school, you must look out for him, he's a little young._ ' Protests about being made to babysit the brat of a man her mother was interested in doing business with were received poorly.

 

_'You think I'm joking Ishizu? I've met the boy, he won't last a week on his own. His father's company is a very important client, and I will do this favor for him, just as you will do this for me. Now get to it.'_ And that had been the end of that.

 

Finding the brat on campus was easy enough. Ishizu had expected the sole heir to the Kaiba Corporation fortune to be shadowed by bodyguards and assistants at all times, but nope. The 15 year old wunderkid of the Kaiba family was left to roam free, happy and cheerful and irritating the hell out of anyone stuck in his company for more than thirty seconds.

 

After the first week he had stuck to her like a tick. To think her life had once been so different….

 

He had been a trial to deal with. However, with the addition of another poor soul stuck in his company, they had ended up sticking together, even after Noah left early when his father passed away.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

However, all those years later, Ishizu still saw plenty of that irritating boy left in the irritating young man currently sprawled all over her $3,000 couch.

 

“Did you have anything else you came here to talk about? Anything not pertaining to your little sister?” She added just as he was opening his mouth. He closed it with a slight pout, before coming up with a different answer.

 

“Mokuba had a half day today. We're going to visit an arcade after we get some ice cream.”

 

“ _Fascinating_.” She replied with only the slightest touch of sarcasm. “Let me guess, he's playing some hand held game with one of the paralegals who should really be working on the Robinson case instead?”

 

“I'm sure my sweet baby brother would never distract someone at work just for someone to play with him.”

 

She let out a sigh. “I think I'm going to raise your rate again, all you do it bring me trouble.”

 

He rolled over so he was laying on his stomach, and looked up at her with big, childish eyes. “Don't pretend that you're not happy to see me. I'm happy to see you too.”

 

And he probably was. Probably more so now, with his guardianship of his siblings still tenuous. For someone who was barely grown himself, adopting the role as ‘parent’ was probably a little more than he could handle. But she didn’t have the desire to relive past hurts and fights. It was what he wanted, what he felt he _needed_ to do.

 

But still….

 

“You know,” she started slowly, aiming for casual and probably missing. “You don't have to try so hard.”

 

He looked up. “Huh? We're just playing games and getting ice cream, that's not trying hard at all.”

 

“You know what I mean. You don't have to try so hard with her.”

 

She was looking him in the eye, because she owed him at least that. She watched him push himself up into a proper sitting position, his eyes gaining a slightly guarded look that made him look older.

 

“I don't know what you mean.”

 

“It's simple, Noah. She's 17 now, right?”

 

She already knew the answer, but waited for him to nod all the same.

 

“And she has only one more year in school. Assuming she doesn't have any more incidents like before-”

 

“Ishizu, we're not going to talk about that.”

 

She put her hands up to stave off an argument. “Just saying that she’s going to be out of high school soon, off to whatever university that’ll allow her to skip group work. It’s going to be a big change for her.” She gave him a look. “So just, relax. The girl you send out is going to be different from the one who comes back home. Assuming she comes back.”

 

He gave her his best impression of a glare. “Our house will always be her home. She knows that.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. But there’s a world of difference between a teenager ‘knowing’ and a teenager ‘understanding’ something. She’ll go and figure herself out a bit. That’s what my brother did.”

 

His face was still scrunched up, but he shrugged his shoulders to concede her point. “I know. It’s just, a hard way getting there.”

 

“I can assure you it will go a little easier if you stop trying to fix your sister.”

 

He looked thoughtful for a second, and then shrugged. “There’s nothing to fix. She’s fine as she is.”

 

_Ugh_.

 

May she be struck down if she ever developed a complex like that with either of her brothers.

 

She sighed. “Out of our little trio, it’s too bad only one of us is good with teens. Sure isn’t either of us.”

 

His face shifted into a pout. “Hey, Mokuba’s almost a teenager, and we’re the best of buds!”

 

“Why don’t you tell me that in another two years. Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get back to my actual job, and I definitely want the rest of the office to stop being distracted by Mokuba. Would you mind?”

 

With an infinitely weary groan, Noah rolled off of the couch, stretching his arms as if he’d done something other than laze on her couch.

 

“By the way, how are your brothers doing? Baby bro still away at school? Big bro still out saving the world?”

 

She snorted. “Of course. Should be able to get them back in the same house before New Years. They’re the reason I have to keep fending off calls from my mother every other day.”

 

“Ah yes, the ever vigilant Madam Ishtar. Hasn't asked me to visit in ages, doesn't she still like me?” He propped his elbows up at the edge of her desk, looking up at her guilelessly like she hadn’t been trying to kick him out of her office.

 

“You know she does, she just thinks you're a blockhead and that she loses IQ points by just being around you. If you asked, she'd probably let you into the house again.”

 

“What, hanging out with your _**mom**_? Without competing with your brothers? Dreams _do_ come true!”

 

“Your time's up, get out of my office, you slacker. I didn't become a junior partner just so my staff could entertain your brother while you're moping about in here.”

 

“So cruel! And here I thought we were going to run away together.” But he was leaning over her desk, and she allowed him a dry kiss on her cheek. With her hand, she waved him to the door. “Hurry up and go, I bet your brother's growing through sugar withdrawal as we speak.”

 

He made his way to the door, and before he reached out for the handle, he stop. Looking over his shoulder he gave her a sly look.

 

“By the way, did your wife like the flowers?”

 

Ishizu rolled her eyes at him. “The nerve of you. Of course she did! She called you the night she got them, you really are too much.”

 

“What do you mean?” That innocent look was back, though his lips tugging themselves into a smile gave him away easily.

 

She used her fingers to list things off. “Flowers at the apartment, flowers at her studio, flowers for _her_ in _my_ damn office, I think you made your point.”

 

“I just wanted to congratulate her, 8 years is a very important anniversary for her career.”

 

“And I'm sure she appreciates it. Now get, I need to have the couch disinfected.”

 

With a jaunty little wave that made her want to through her desk at him, he finally made his way out. As soon as the doors were closed, she was already pulling out her cell phone and dialing.

 

It seemed like she was going to have to have a talk with her darling wife about releasing information about her work schedule to unscrupulous individuals.

 

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Tuesday found the girls back at Kaiba Corp for their next session together. Téa still didn't feel comfortable there, but with the library still a no-go and Seto likely to never want to step foot in her home again, it was the best choice.

 

Téa looked up from where she had been rewriting a formula, and peeked over at Seto.

 

The other girl didn't look much differently than usual, and there was no hint of the girl who had been puking out her guts in Téa's bathroom on her birthday. Téa had tried to apologize again for what had happened (for her parents more than actually being sorry), but Seto had dismissed it. She claimed to brush it off as just an accident. Whether she really felt that way or not, Téa didn't really know, but something told her that the other girl probably hadn't been ranting to the school guidance counselor.

 

It was getting towards the end of the session, when there was a cheery little knock on the door. Despite their overly happy faces, none of the endless stream of assistants ever knocked quite like that, and without waiting for an answer, the door slid open.

 

Over the edge peeked a bright and cheerful face.

 

“Hello Seto! Mind if I pop in for a moment?”

 

His sister's response was little more than a glare and the slightest of shrugs, but that seemed all the answer he needed to come right in. He had on another, equally nice and expensive looking suit like the one that Seto had gotten sick all over. He looked kindly over at Téa.

 

“Miss Gardner, it's so nice to see you again! Are your parents doing alright? I didn't get the chance to properly thank them for taking care of my sister last Saturday, I really appreciated it.”

 

“Oh, it's fine. They're doing good, I mean.” Téa found herself stumbling a bit over her words. She found it a little difficult to focus when the young man had the full force of his beaming persona shining directly on her. Rich boy had something about him that made her feel warm. No wonder her parents had kept going on and on about all the times they got to speak to him on the phone. She swore that her mother was a bit smitten with him.

 

For her part, Seto just hunched her shoulders and glowered.

 

“Now, I'm sorry to say that I have yet another meeting that I'll be needing to run to, but there's something I wanted to ask you first, Miss Gardner. Is that alright?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” She found herself smiling back.

 

“Well,” he started, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of his face. “When I last talked to your parents, they told me how disappointed they were that Seto fell ill when she came to visit you. On her birthday no less!”

 

Téa wasn't sure that ' _falling ill_ ' was the best way to describe Seto's violent food poisoning, but far be it for her to correct him.

 

“And they mentioned that you were still grounded, but I wondered: is it really best to have young people toiling away instead of enjoying themselves a bit during special occasions? And so we got to thinking and we thought that wouldn't it be nice if Seto and I returned the favor and hosted you at our home?”

 

“Really?” Téa said, ignoring the warning look Seto was quietly sending her way. “That sounds nice.”

 

“Well I'm glad to hear that!” Noah continued on. “And we know that you girls have been working so hard these past weeks, your parents have told me that some of your grades have already improved. What a show of hard work!”

 

Téa felt a touch of pride at that, and wondered briefly just what information did her dearest parents see fit to keep sharing with their newest ' _friend_ '.

 

“And because of that,” he said, with a clever look on his face, “I thought you girls could have a little more fun that just studying with each other.”

 

“What did you have in mind? Please tell me.” From the way Seto's face was getting that pinched look again, she could tell that while the other girl didn't quite know what the destination of the conversation would be, she knew enough to know what she didn't like it.

 

For Téa, there was something appealing about making her squirm.

 

He spread his arms wide. “Why don't you two have a sleep over? I can assure you that our home has more than enough entertainment facilities to keep at least two teenagers occupied. You can watch movies, listen to music, talk, and just enjoy yourselves! Besides, it'll be Halloween, and I'd hate to think that all you two would do would be staying at home and studying.”

 

While Téa was pretty sure that staying home and being deprived of fun was a fundamental part of the concept of ' _grounding_ ', it was still a bummer that she would be stuck at home for Halloween. She didn't even have a shift at work until Saturday night, so she'd miss all the kids and teenagers coming to the restaurant in costumes, having a blast with their own friends.

 

But spend the night with Seto?

 

“It seems a little excessive to spend the whole evening together when we can finish studying today in an hour.” Seto's words were dry and concise. Like it was a surprise that she didn't seem even remotely interested in the idea.

 

“It sounds great!” Téa countered back, and was rewarded with an incredulous look from the other's face.

 

“Excellent!” Noah clapped his hands together, obviously very pleased with himself and his part of in the plan. “I'll talk to your parents about it later tonight. I think it will be a wonderful opportunity for you two to spend some more time together just to enjoy each other's company, don't you think so, Seto?”

 

“Weren't you supposed to be running off for another meeting? You should be going.” She said in clipped, even tones. Téa was surprised that she wasn't tossing her books at him to get out.

 

He gave them both a shrug and an apologetic smile. “Thank you for reminding me Seto. Alas, I must return to my duties.” He dipped his head over at Téa. “Thanks again for considering, I think you two girls will have a lot of fun. Until next time, take care!” And then he was off with a wave and was gone before Téa could even get her hand up to wave back.

 

Once he was gone, it seemed like the light in the room had gotten duller, less warm. Her hand stayed up awkwardly for a few more seconds.

 

“You can put your hand down, you know. He's not checking the security feed.”

 

Téa gave Seto a dirty look, but pulled her hand back down anyways. “Sorry, was just overwhelmed by that display of brotherly-sisterly love. Maybe you two should tone it down a bit.”

 

Seto made a slight humming noise and went back to work correcting another practice test for Téa. Compared to when Noah was in the room, she didn't seem so eager to lash out. It kind of annoyed Téa since she still wanted to spar a bit. But only a bit.

 

Sighing, she started gathering her papers together. “You know, if you really don't want me at your house, I can just feigned getting menstrual cramps or something.”

 

Téa heard Seto's pen stop scratching on the paper. “It doesn't bother me.” The scratching started up again.

 

“I didn't say it bothered you.” Téa said, matching her tone. “I said if you didn't want me there, I won't go. Want. You know, talking about preferences, wanting or not wanting something. Ever heard of it?”

 

The pen kept on going. “I believe I'm in a higher English class than you, I assure you I am familiar with the basics of the language.”

 

“Haha, I love it when you're being funny. But do you: yes or no?”

 

Téa stared at Seto's bent head, as the other girl seemed keen on looking only at the test, her hair hiding her face. Seemingly suddenly aware that she was being stared up, Seto looked up at Téa. “I really don't care either way. It just seems unnecessary, that's all.”

 

Téa nodded. “Yeah, I kind of get that. A little play-date-y, don't you think?”

 

Seto seemed mildly insulted at the wording. “If you mean infantalized, than yes. You didn't seem that against it when you were talking to him.” She gave her a searching look.

 

Téa shrugged her shoulders. “Something about his attitude, your brother is a hard man to say ' _no_ ' to.”

 

A roll in her shoulders could have signified that she needed to stretch after sitting for so long, but it was easy to see the discomfort whenever her older brother was mentioned. Seto didn't have a response to her comment, and Téa didn't feel like following it up with something just to nettle her with.

 

By the time they were done and she was being driven home, Téa wondered what it was going to be like having to spend a whole night with Seto trying to hide from her brother.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~If you watched the movie, you know what's coming up!~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These two can't even do sleepovers right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a long time to get here, huh?

 

 

That Friday after school Téa found herself shoving clothes and toiletries into her bag as she got ready for the night. She regretted not having packed the night before, feeling herself scrambling around her room trying to remember what she would need to spend the night.

 

Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, cassettes, underwear, socks-shit.

 

She went back to her dresser and pulled out a spare set, stuffing them into her bag. A glance at the clock on her wall told her that she had fifteen minutes before Seto's driver would be showing up. She didn't like the thought of that fancy car idling out in front of her house, and was determined to not keep the driver waiting.

 

That was, if she actually ever finished packing.

 

As the last minutes finally ticked down, Téa decided to cut any of her theoretical loses and rushed down the stairs with her backpack and tote for her books. Her father was waiting for her in the living room.

 

“Happy Halloween, honey. Need another suitcase to carry all of that, Téa?”

 

“Very funny, Dad.” Sure, her bag felt a little too heavy to just be for overnight, but she didn't want to show up under-prepared. She couldn’t imagine having to borrow a shirt from Seto to sleep in. The other girl would probably have one delivered than let any of her own boring clothes get contaminated.

 

“I'm sure they'll provide anything you're missing. That young man assured us you'd be fine.”

 

Téa wrinkled her nose up a bit. “' _That young man_ ', what do you two even call him? Please don't tell me that you call him ' _Mr Kaiba_ ' or anything weird like that, he's almost my age.”

 

“Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to act like it. And why, did you want me to call him ' _Mr President_ '?” He straightened up his posture. “ _‘Mr President, the sleepover with the Chinese Prime Minster is in danger. We don’t have enough popcorn, and the emergency reserves have already been eaten by the Secretary of State. How do you want us to proceed? Mr President?’_ ” She giggled at the idea.

 

“Just as long as he doesn't act too chummy with you and Mom, I'm fine. I don’t want you hanging out with a bad crowd.”

 

“Well, I'm glad we have your permission, dear.” He laughed. Outside, they could hear the sound of a car pulling up and she knew it was her cue to go. “Now, remember, we want you to check in and call tonight, just tell us you're fine, no big deal. You have all of our numbers and your mother's work line, so you should be all set.”

 

Téa started heading towards the door. “You know, you don't fuss this much when I stay over at Yugi's. Or Joey's. Or Tristan even.”

 

“Because,” he said matter-of-factly, “I've had years to get to know them and their families, and you were all friends long before we let you sleep over at anyone's house. This? This is new, and I can't pretend that I'm not a little happy to see you spending time with another girl your age.”

 

“Really, Dad? Has it been that bad?”

 

He sighed softly and smiled at her. “I just want you happy, Téa. I want you two girls to work out whatever you need to work out, and I don't see why you can't enjoy each other's company a little along the way.”

 

Téa huffed, giving him a mock long-suffering look. “If it's that important to you, Dad, I'll give it my best.” She really had to go.

 

“All I ask, honey. I love you so much.” He pulled her into hug, and she squeezed her arms around him tight.

 

He waved her off as she left. She waved back until she couldn’t see him anymore.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

While her conversation with her father helped some of her earlier nerves, she felt them returned once they reached the Kaiba home. ' _Home_ ' seemed far too modest of a name, since it was an actual mansion. It was one of those big, modern looking monstrosities that didn't look like people ever actually lived in them. The sky was beginning to darken, promising rain for later that night. It made the house look even less inviting.

 

She had seen a few of them towards the outskirts of the town, secluded away from the masses who could never hope to even step in one of those ' _houses_ '.

 

A stray thought of wondering if they ever got trick or treaters crossed her mind once the car finally pulled up to the front of the mansion. The drive way would have probably deterred all but the most dedicated trick or treaters; most probably never got past the gate. Her fingers played with the ends of her scarf. She’d borrowed it off of Yugi on their walk to school, and hadn’t had a chance to give it back yet. Judging by the sky, it was probably best that she hung on to it.

 

At the front door was the grumpy one-woman-greeting-party that was Seto Kaiba.

 

“Come on.” Was what passed for a greeting as she opened the door behind her, Téa following in after her. Téa looked around the entrance way, and fought the urge to whistle. It was just, big and airy, with stairs leading up to the second floor and long hallways leading out from either side of the foyer. It would take a lot of imagination to feel like it was anywhere near as cozy or comforting as her own home was. Noah probably was able to managed.

 

Speaking of him....

 

“Isn't your big brother supposed to be here?” Téa felt the need to pull the words back as she spoke them. She didn't want Seto taking it in a weird way, since she was always so weird about her brother.

 

“He's out.” She answered back. “He had another meeting, he'll be back later tonight. Maybe.” She didn't seem very excited by the news. “Before we get settled in the living room, are there things you want dropped off? A guest bedroom has already been prepared for you, it's near my own.”

 

Téa considered her own backpack. All of her chemistry related work and other homework was tucked into her tote, so she only really needed that. However, she had brought a couple of extra things for entertainment, and if she was going to get set up in a guest bedroom, she wasn't sure she'd get the chance to actually use them.

 

“Nah, I don't have that much. We can just get started.” Nodding, Seto led her down the right hand hallway, and soon brought her into the living room. Téa was pleasantly surprised by it. Large couches, TVs, assorted game systems, there was a definite air that that room was actually lived in. It didn't have the cold catalog quality of the foyer, and a wall full of huge windows at least allowed a lot of the late afternoon light in.

 

“Huh, this is nice.” She headed over and dropped herself down onto one of the couches. She sunk in pleasantly, the leather soft and inviting.

 

“I'll be sure to pass the praise along to the decorator.” Seto said dryly. She already had her own notebooks and books stacked on one of the end tables, and brought them over to where Téa had parked herself.

 

Taking another glance at the game consoles, Téa got curious. “Who usually plays those? Didn't peg you as a big video game fan.”

 

Another shrug from Seto. “We all do, to some respect. They're mainly Mokuba's, though, and he's the one usually parked in front of the TV until he gets sent off to bed.”

 

Téa looked around. “Where is your little brother anyways? Is he here?”

 

“You're just full of questions today, aren't you?” Seto said neutrally as she focused on organizing her notes.

 

“Well, this is my first time at your place. Besides, I've already met one of your brothers, I'm kind of curious about the other one.”

 

Seto didn't look thrilled about the new line of questioning, but she caved. “He's getting ready upstairs. He has a party to go to, and then he's sleeping over at a friend's house. His social schedule is rather busy around the holiday season.”

 

“Aw, I wanted to finally meet him. I wanted to see if he took after you or Noah.” That earned her Seto looking up from her notes, giving her a withering look that was all too common when Téa asked her questions. She was starting to see it as less hostile than before.

 

Instead of repeating some variation of ' _Stop asking about things that are none of your business_ ', she asked “Is there something you wanted to drink? Dinner is scheduled for seven o'clock.”

 

Huh. It wouldn't be that long before they were closing up their books and getting on with the rest of their night. “I don't know, what do you got?”

 

That earned another look. “I'm not quite sure, I'll go check.” She moved to stand up from the couch.

 

“Hey, you have a butler or something?” Téa looked around the room. She hadn't seen anyone other than the driver either since she came in. “Any servants? I know you're not going to get it yourself.”

 

“You could probably do well to reign in your imagination a bit.” Seto said, a hint of irritation in her voice. “And to answer your question, yes, I will, since there won't be any of the household staff working tonight.”

 

“So you do, huh?” She knew it. “Why, are they going to be out trick or treating tonight?”

 

“Do you or do you not want something to drink?” The taller girl's patience was wearing thin.

 

“Yeah.” Téa said, pushing herself up off of the comfy couch and moved over by Seto. “I guess I'm coming too. Lead the way?”

 

Looking her usual grumpy self, Seto led the way over to the kitchen. It was over in the left hand hallway past the entrance. “So do you have a butler?”

 

“Why, you are-ugh.” Seto walked a little faster, and Téa had to work at keeping up. “No, we don't. Do you usually ask people that?”

 

Téa tilted her head. “Only people who live in giant mansions. I feel like I need a map of this place, I'm going to get lost.”

 

“I highly doubt that.” Seto countered, leading the two of them into the kitchen. It was big, uncomfortably big, and full of stoves, ovens, fridges, and pretty much anything else she'd seen in celebrity kitchens on TV. “Do you actually use any of this?”

 

Seto walked over to one of the fridges and gripped the handle. “Come over here if you want to see what we have.”

 

Téa obliged, and Seto opened the door. A quick scan of the fridge showed a wide variety of soft drinks, juices, and teas, but not a single can of beer or bottle of alcohol. She settled quickly on some cola, and Seto picked some tea for herself.

 

As Seto was opening up a cabinet to get them glasses, Téa resumed her line of questioning. “So do you guys actually use this, or is pulling drinks out of the fridge the extent of your culinary abilities?”

 

Another annoyed huff came from her host, but she poured her drink out anyways. “I'm perfectly capable of cooking for myself. Mokuba is usually too picky of an eater, and our brother normally just eats at work. We have staff who normally do meal prep for the week. We're not usually all at home at the same time anyways.”

 

“Wow. That would suck.” With three separate work schedules, not to mention school, clubs, and dance practice, Téa and her parents were usually rushing about. Actually being able to have meals together meant a lot to Téa. She wondered if Seto felt the same, or if she'd blow it off as some kind of sentimental nuisance.

 

Seto finished pouring out the drinks, and handed Téa her glass. “Now you know where the kitchen is, you can get your own next time.”

 

“Thanks.” Téa said with a touch of sarcasm, but sipped at her drink anyways. “Study time now?”

 

“It would be nice to actually do something related to why we're actually here.” They walked back together into the foyer, and then Seto stopped. “I want to check on my brother and see if he's finished packing. You can go on ahead, I'll be back soon.”

 

“Okay.” Téa took a couple of steps forward, and then circled backwards. “Hey, let me take your drink, I'm going that way anyways.”

 

Seto looked momentarily surprised, and after a pause handed over her drink. “Thank you.” It came out sounding a little awkward, and soon she was heading up the stairs to the second floor. Téa found her reaction kind of funny. “You're welcome.” She said to no one and headed over to the living room.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The couches were just as comfortable as they were before, and after setting the drinks down Téa plopped herself back down in her spot. If she was tired, she would surely fall asleep on them.

 

After a few more sips of her cola, Téa opened her textbook from where they had left off at their last meeting on Thursday. Mole mass conversions, what complete and utter _joy_. At least dinner would put an end to her misery. She kept skimming the pages in the chapter, and only gradually began to notice that Seto hadn't come back down yet.

 

With a mansion that big, it wasn't like she could just pop up the stairs, stick her head in her brother's room, and be back down in under a minute, but it was starting to feel like a while. Far be it for her to tell the other girl how much time she could and couldn't spend with her brother, but still...

 

It was taking a while.

 

Téa took another sip, promising herself to stop drinking so she wouldn't have to run back to the kitchen or try to find a bathroom without Seto. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she never heard the sound of small feet slowly padding towards her on the thickly carpeted floor.

 

It was a fatal mistake, and as she broke her own promise and took another sip, she found hands suddenly reaching out from behind, covering her eyes.

 

“Guess who?”

 

Startled, her head slammed back, coming into contact with something surprisingly soft and hard. She couldn’t see but could feel her drink spilling over on her, and though her heart rate was racing she couldn't help but immediately feel annoyed about her shirt.

 

“OW!”

 

The hands were off of her heard, and ditching her glass on the coffee table in front of her. Elsewhere, she could hear the sound of someone coming down the stars. She spun around to face her attacker.

 

There was no one.

 

“Ah, my nose, it hurts!” The muffled voice was coming from the ground.

 

Gathering up a little courage, Téa gripped the back of the couch, and peered over it. Sitting on the floor was some boy with wild black hair who was clutching his nose. The footsteps from before were closer then.

 

“Mokuba! What's going on?”

 

Ah.

 

That explained one mystery.

 

“Seto! She got my nose!” The boy stood up, still touching his nose tenderly but with less of the dramatics than before. Seto strode over to him, arms crossing in front of her as she took in the scene before her. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

 

“Mokuba, did you finish packing before trying to scare people? You're supposed to leave in twenty minutes.”

 

Busted, the boy had the grace to look at least slightly guilty. “I wasn't trying to scare her. I just wanted to surprise her a bit.”

 

Seto looked at her again, and Téa crossed her arms over her chest. She was going to have to wear her pajama shirt for the rest of the night. “When it accomplishes the same task, it requires the same responsibility. Please apologize, Mokuba.”

 

Looking a little sheepish, Seto's little brother spun on his heel, and did a little jerky bow at Téa. “I'm sorry, I was just trying to be funny.”

 

“Well, at least you had fun.” Once her heart rate got back to normal, she had to appreciate his efforts a bit. Sneaking past his big sister, scaring some strange high schooler, it would probably be one of the highlights of his week. “It is Halloween after all.”

 

“Yeah!” He said excitedly, his past guilt already gone from his mind. “I'm gonna change at my friend's house, we wanted to get dressed together, I'm going to be a zombie robot, isn't that the best?”

 

“Yup, sounds pretty interesting.” She said with a grin. And, yup, she knew which of his older siblings he took after. Noah, most definitely.

 

“That's fine and all,” Seto said, a small frown on her face, “but if you aren't finished packing you'll be late and you'll be keeping your friend waiting. Is that really what you want to do?”

 

“Nope! I just need another minute, I'll be back down in a jiff.” Without any other warning, he launched himself at Seto, hitting her with enough force to probably knock over an ordinary mortal. However, since Seto was apparently hewn from stone, she withstood the barrage of the attack, wrapping her arms around his smaller frame as he buried his face in her midsection.

 

“I'll be back!” With that he rushed out of the living room, and the sound of him feet stomping up the stairs was easy enough to hear.

 

“He shouldn't run on the stairs.” Seto said absently, looking mildly exasperated before turning back to Téa. There was still a touch of a soft, unguarded look on her face before her usual one slipped back over her features. It was a weird thing for Téa to get to see. The girls stared at each other for a moment.

 

“You need to change, I apologize for his behavior. He was trying to be playful.” She stepped closer to Téa. “Do you have a spare shirt you want to change into, or did you need to borrow one?”

 

Téa let out a lighthearted scoff. “Yeah, I'm not wearing any of your clothes. I kind of like my own look, but thanks.” There were probably closest upon closets in Seto's room, and all of them were probably full of fun and exciting choices, like black turtle necks, black mock necks, white button ups, and when she was feeling really adventurous, _beige_ button ups. “I'll just change into my pajama top, no damage. Cola washes out pretty easily anyways.”

 

“If you insist.” Seto led her over to one of the first floor bathrooms, and Téa was changed and back in the living room pretty fast. She clapped her hands together. “Okay, let's get back to studying!”

 

Which would have been the very next thing on the agenda, but the sound of the big front doors opening had Seto stiffening in her seat. Before Téa could ask about it, they heard a booming voice from the front hall.

 

“HELLO EVERYONE, I'M HOME!”

 

“BIG BROTHER!” Mokuba's voice could be heard answering back from the second floor, and he could be heard running _again_ down the stairs. Téa couldn't help but smile a bit. “I wonder who's home.”

 

She was expecting some sort of huff or scoff from the other girl, but silence was her answer. Seto was still holding Téa's textbook, where she had been adding little post-it notes wherever she felt Téa needed to focus more on (and boy, were there a lot of them). Her hands weren't moving though, and she just held the book idly.

 

“Hey,” Téa tried again. “Let's go say ' _hi_ ' to your brother. Come on.” But there was still no answer from the other girl.

 

Rolling her eyes, Téa got up from her seat, walking over and taking the book from the other girl. Seto seemed to wake up at that. “What are you doing” She said pissily.

 

“ _This_.” Téa reached down and grabbed Seto's newly textbook-free hands. Before the taller girl could protest, she pulled her up and gave her hands a tug. “Come on, isn't Mokuba leaving soon? Move!”

 

“Let go.” Seto hissed, trying to pull back, but Téa wasn't having it. Half manhandling the other girl, she pulled Seto along to the foyer where her two brothers were still chatting excitedly. Once the girls stepped into the entrance hall, Noah, who was busy with a giant ball of Mokuba hanging off of him, greeted them warmly.

 

“Seto! Miss Gardner! Good to see you, are you young ladies doing okay?”

 

“It's just Téa, and yeah! Working hard.” She said, pumping her fist. She didn't think the earlier cola incident needed to be touched upon again. He'd probably hear about it anyways.

 

“Good to hear, good to hear.” He looked back down at Mokuba, who was still cheerfully clinging to him. “I got home as soon as I could so I could see you off. All packed, Mokuba?”

 

“Yes, sir!” Mokuba said, letting go of his big brother so he could do a mock salute with one hand. “All gear is packed and accounted for!”

 

“At ease, Roland's here to take you over. Try to have a fun Halloween, okay?”

 

Mokuba nodded, and as his bags got handed over to the driver, the boy ambled over to Seto. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and squeezed tight.

 

“Make sure you have lots of fun when I'm gone. Try not to study all night, alright Seto?” She brought him in closer, and laid a kiss in his hair. Téa found herself looking away. “I'll take it into consideration. Try not to eat too much candy all at once.”

 

“I'll take that into consideration too.” He mimicked playfully, and released her once it was time to go.

 

With Mokuba and the driver gone, Téa found herself alone with the remaining Kaiba siblings. Noah looked as beaming and charming as ever, though Seto looked like she was itching to get back to the living room. She pulled on Téa's arm, tugging her towards the right hallway. “We're not finished working yet. We should go back.”

 

“I hope you girls are taking proper break times.” Noah chimed in helpfully. “What did you two want for dinner? I don't know what Seto has said about me, but I'm a decent cook. We can all eat together, what do you say?”

 

Before Téa could accept or Seto voice her probably protest, the jingly sound of Noah's cellphone could be heard from his pocket. Checking the number, he excused himself, heading upstairs and leaving the girls alone. As soon as his first foot touched the stairs, Seto was already pulling Téa back into the living room.

 

“You could be a little more gentle, you know.” Téa complained.

 

“You might want to spend the rest of the night standing in the entrance hall, but we have actually things to do. Get your notebook out, I want you to tell me which elemental atomic weights you remember.”

 

“Can you ever not be pushy?” But she was already getting her notebook out, and while she didn't seem to be impressing Seto with her memory, she felt like she was doing pretty well. It was funny that over just a few weeks, their sessions changed from being something she dreaded to something she actually got a lot out of. Though still all closed off, especially around her brother, Seto was a lot easier to talk to too. That was good, since Téa still had a lot of questions.

 

“Sorry about that, company stuff, always follows me home I'm afraid.” Noah said apologetically as he stepped into the living room. “Supplier issues, no big deal, but I'll have to be in my office for a while. Is it alright if I warm up a few pizzas for you girls? We can get delivery if you prefer, though the drivers seem to never want to come here.”

 

Realizing the question is aimed more at her than Seto, Téa shook her head. “Whatever you already got here is fine, I'm not super picky.” Seto doesn't even acknowledge the question, head bent over her notebook again.

 

“Sounds good! Nothing like pizza on a rainy night. In fact,” he started, a clever look back on his face, “the only thing better is pizza and a movie on a rainy night! And Halloween no less! After dinner we watch some Halloween movies in here? I can assure you that the TV and sound system are quite top of the line, and even the cheesy old monster movies will seem thrilling. What do you say?”

 

His bright smiling face peered at both of them, waiting for a response. To be honest, Téa was fairly considering his offer. She loved scary movies, and without having to worry about Joey she could actually indulge in her tastes for once, and the entertainment system in the living room looked awesome. Plus, Noah seemed like a good buffer, since the idea of spending the entire night in Seto's company still seemed daunting. Quizzing her one chemistry notes was one thing, but outside of that what would they even talk about?

 

_'Speaking of communication problems..._ '

 

She looked over at Seto. The taller girl's shoulders were hunched as if she was trying to make herself seem smaller. She just got so weird around her older brother, and it was annoying and uncomfortable to see. Téa wondered just how uncomfortable Seto had to be to be letting her discomfort show like that.

 

She made up her mind.

 

“That sounds like it'd be really great, but Seto already planned on showing me her room after we ate. She said it's smaller than this,” Téa gestured around herself, “and that it'd be easier to talk in there. You know, girl talk.”

 

In fact, she did not know much about girl take actually entailed, because the closest person who counted as a female friend to her was probably Ms Valentine, and there was always the distance between teacher and student between them. She was hoping that Noah understood the art of feminine communication even less than herself.

 

“Really?” His eyes were wide, as if he'd just seen a magic trick up close. “Is that true, Seto? You're actually letting her into your room?”

 

Seto had the air of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. For a moment she didn't seem to know how to answer, but she wasn't the highest ranked student in her class for nothing. “It is.” She said nodding. “I've never had a girl over before. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. It might be,” she stumbled over the last word, “-fun.”

 

Noah stood there, the shocked look on his faced quickly changing into cheerful one she had seen so much. “That's wonderful! You two will have a blast, don't worry, I'll be sure to stay out of your hair. Now, I'm off to preheat the oven, just give me a call if you need anything.” And with a wave, he headed over to the kitchen, leaving silence in the living room.

 

If Seto was looking at her, she couldn’t tell because she was so focused on her notebook even though the words were starting to swarm together into little black and gray blurs. She cleared her throat. “Did you want to know the conversion rate for hydrogen dioxide?”

 

Seto did.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

With Noah tucked away in his office and his driver newly returned up there with him, the girls had relatively free reign of much of the house. Téa briefly entertained the thought that they would be eating in some fancy dining room, but eventually the girls settled at eating at the small dining set that was inside of the kitchens. Fancy or not, pizza was pizza, and the risk of grease stains getting on the fancy couches kept them from picking the living room.

 

The kitchen was still too damn big for Téa, but the little dining set seemed downright cozy. Plus, the pizza was delicious. “Did your family's chef really make this? It feels like it's from a restaurant or something.” Téa took another bite out of her slice of pizza. With spinach, mushrooms, and sausage on it, it tasted heavenly.

 

“Well, working in a restaurant isn't exactly a weird background for a personal chef.” Seto said, eating her own slice with a little less gusto. “Since our schedules never align well, she preps and pre-makes a lot of the meals we eat. It's not like we can't reheat things in an oven or the microwave.”

 

Something about that just seemed funny. “Are you telling me that your big hotshot brother has to stick his fancy food in a microwave like a normal person? Doesn't that just make it taste like normal, plebeian food?”

 

Seto gave her a dry look. “You always get fixated on the weirdest things. He's always running around with meetings and phone calls and project releases, so he rarely eats at work. His assistants usually try to sneak him snack foods and coffee during the day so he won't pass out.”

 

Téa snorted at that. It seemed like Seto was loosening up a bit.

 

“That's a shame. If I had food this good waiting for me at home, I'd make a better effort to get there while it's fresh.”

 

Seto frowned a bit. “He's usually home at night on weekdays, though. He'll just run out of dinner to take a call, or hole himself up in his office doing research or a teleconference that can't wait for him the next day. It's not that we don't see him. It's just that he's...” her brow furrowed in thought.

 

“Here, but not fully here.”

 

Téa nodded her head as if that made sense. There but not really there?

 

Once the girls had had their fill, they cleaned up their mess and with arms laden with more snacks and drinks, they made their way up to Seto's room.

 

The funny thing about the mansion was that it was both bigger and smaller than she originally thought. Téa had expected some kind of fantastical labyrinth, full of endless hallways, staircases, hidden rooms and doors leading to nowhere. Getting between the kitchen and the living room was easy enough, but she had assumed that was just a fluke.

 

But no, the rest of the house was equally manageable. Rooms were bigger, ceilings were taller, everything was impossibly more expensive, but Téa was pretty sure that she wasn't going to enter the twilight zone if she needed to find a bathroom at night.

 

Seto's room was on the second floor, near the very end of the long hallway that made up the 'eastern wing' of the home. Mokuba's room was at the other end of it, closer to the staircase, and was pointed out to Téa by Seto. The gesture seemed a part of some unspoken agreement of places she was not allowed to go, which encompassed most of the house. Téa didn't feel slighted by it, it wasn't like she would have expected Seto to wander in her or her parents room during a study session either.

 

All of Noah's personal rooms, from his bedroom to his handful of offices, were located in the western wing. How could a person need more than one office? Téa figured being CEO and President of Kaiba Corp possibly justified that. Seto had her own office attached to her room, and that was probably the most believable thing she had heard in her life.

 

The room itself was a little surprising considering who the occupant was. Big windows lined the wall by the four poster bed, and all of the woodwork was in warm, welcoming hues. The wallpaper was a surprising peach color, and the soft carpet a deep green. There were closets and dressers that were all closed and tidy looking, unlike the ones Téa had at home. Along the western wall, there were two doors, leading to the attached bathroom and her office.

 

All in all, it was a warm, inviting, girly looking room.

 

It also looked very empty, like someone had set it up for a pre-adolescent girl and no one had bothered to change it in ten years.

 

There were books on the shelves that surrounded the sizable entertainment system, but no pictures or art on the walls. The dresser and nightstand weren't covered with any personal affects, with only a clock to adorn the latter. Téa wondered if Seto had cleared out the room before she showed up, or if she really just lived that way on a day to day basis.

 

Knowing Seto....

 

She was pulled from her musings by Seto setting up the drinks she brought on the rug in front of the TV. Téa followed her example, putting down the snacks and her bag that she had brought up with her.

 

“It's not that late yet, but if you wanted to take a shower, you can go first.” Seto said. “There's a bathroom here and another in the nearest guest room if you'd prefer that.”

 

“Not weirded out by someone else using your bathroom?” Téa was only slightly planning on digging through whatever medicine cabinet or drawers that were in Seto's personal bathroom. She couldn't help but be curious at how the 'other half' lived.

 

Seto shook her head. “It doesn't matter. My brother uses mine too.”

 

“What, is that how he wakes you up in the morning? Sneaking into your bathroom and using up all of your hot water?”

 

“The water heating system is a little more capable than that.” Seto replied dryly. “When he watches movies in here, he tends not to want to run back into his own rooms.”

 

“So you and your brother like to hang out in here? Isn't your ginormous living room better for movies? It's like a mini theater.”

 

Seto poured out some tea for herself. “We have a small theater on the first floor, but the only one who uses it is Mokuba when his friends come over.”

 

“Ah.” Of course they would have one.

 

“It's just more private here.” Seto went on. “If we're doing something in the living room, Noah will usually come in and I prefer it when he's not there.”

 

And that again.

 

“Do you seriously spend all of your days hiding from your brother in his own house?”

 

“Usually just the nights.”

 

It takes Téa a second for that to sink it, and then she started snorting. Her hands flew up to her face, trying to stifling the sounds coming out of her while Seto looked on impassively.

 

“You need to warn me before you make jokes.” Téa said when she was finally about to speak again. “I gotta say, this is another blow to my theory that you're secretly an android.”

 

“Do you want to take a shower now or not? I'm surprised that you didn't want to take one after your drink spilled on you.”

 

She did still feel kind of gross. Her bra had gotten wet, and she was looking forward to throwing it into the wash back home. Still, she shook her head.

 

“Nah, think of it as a late birthday gift. You first.”

 

“What, letting me take a shower knowing that you're sitting in my room and waiting for me to finish? How generous of you.” But she was already going through the drawers in her dresser pulling out some clothes. She made her way over to the door to the bathroom, but stopped before going in.

 

“Why did you lie to him?”

 

“Huh, what's that? I don't hear the shower running, what's taking you so long?” Téa feigned innocence, pulling some of her magazines out of her bag.

 

She heard a huff coming from across the room, but Seto stayed put. “Tell me.”

 

Téa pretended to be busy sorting her magazines, but figured the closest way to end the conversation was a partial truth. She shrugged. “No real reason. Sleepovers are just better without older siblings butting in. When the rest of us hang out at Tristan's house, his older sister is always butting in and making us babysit for her. It's lame.”

 

And that was more or less the reason. All she was going to tell her, anyways.

 

“I see.” It seemed that that was enough of an answer for Seto, and she finally went to take her damn shower.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Even after she heard the click of the lock, Téa stayed on the floor, thumbing idly through one of her magazines, not really reading it. It wasn't until she heard the shower running that she sprang up. She had had her eye on the stereo system since coming in. Seto had already alluded to using the TV. to watch movies with her brother, but what about her music choices? If Seto had really cleared out her room, would she have remembered to check there too?

 

She powered the stereo system on, and popped open the CD tray. The answer to that was either A) in a stunning show of carelessness, she forgot, or B) she didn't bother clearing out her room, she really was a freak like that.

 

There were five CDs already loaded up. Checking out the titles, she found that four of them were different mixes of classical music. Téa fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course rich girl listened to stuff like that. Téa's own music collection was comprised 90% of her parents old cassette tapes and CDs.

 

But number five was a little different. She looked closer at the words printed on the disc label. _Chess_? Did Seto really listen to CDs about chess in her spare time? Looking a little closer, she realized that the CD was not so much an instruction disc but a musical. _Really_.

 

She closed the disc tray, mildly disappointed that she hadn't found anything for contemporary or embarrassing there. She moved on to checking out the bookshelves, peering at a myriad of titles that were probably in some order only understandable by Seto. Like with her music choices, there wasn't anything particularly contemporary in the mix, though she recognized a few of the science fiction authors. Her inspection came to an end as she heard the shower shut off, and she unhurriedly made her way back to her magazines, trying to look nonchalant.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Seto had showered as quickly as possible, since even with the small gestures they were making towards each other she didn't feel very good about leaving Téa alone in her room. Coming out of her bathroom, she was greeted with the sight of a too-casual Téa lounging on the floor. Seto didn’t bother checking over her room to see if anything looked disturbed, Téa wouldn’t have found much anyways.

 

As the girls switched out, Seto walked over to her closet. It was warm enough in her room, but she pulled out a sweater anyways, pulling it over her head and her still damp hair. She just felt a little more comfortable with an extra layer between herself and the rest of the world.

 

Heading to where they had set up set up the snacks and drinks, Seto turned on the TV, thumbing through some channels to see what was on. It was still Halloween, so as far as horror movies went they had more than enough to choose from. She didn’t like any of the particularly gory or violent movies, and she settled on one of the old Universal monster movies.

 

If Téa wanted to complain about it, they could always change it.

 

After what felt like an hour but was really more 20 minutes, a freshly showered and changed Téa emerged from the bathroom.

 

“Black and white? Really? Is there anything you like that came out after the cold war?”

 

Seto didn’t even honor her with a sigh. “The color in which it was shot in doesn’t change the quality of the movie. If your delicate senses prefer something else...”

 

“Nope.” Téa plopped down next to Seto, a towel around her shoulders as her still wet hair kept dripping. “It’s fine. Might as well go back to the basics.” She began pawing through a bag of chips, and Seto made a mental note to request that the kitchen pantry be restocked before Mokuba came back and found all of his junk food gone.

 

“So.”

 

Seto glanced over at Téa, who was toying with a potato chip between her fingers. “When I was trying to get out of the bathroom, I accidentally opened the wrong door. Easy mistake, you know.”

 

After a slight nod, Seto went back to sipping her drink. Téa went on. “The next room over is your office, isn’t it?”

 

“Quite the detective, aren’t you.” She went back to watching the movie, figuring Téa would eventually get to the point before the night was over. On screen, the ‘good’ doctor’s henchman was busy stealing a brain.

 

“Ha ha, I have my moments.” Téa too looked back at the movie, but she wasn’t quite finished yet. “A cool computer system you have set up.”

 

Seto nodded her head. “Every couple of months he tries to swap it out for a newer system. He doesn’t understand that I don’t like getting used to a new system all time.” Not that she minded doing her own brand of beta testing and troubleshooting for Kaiba Corp’s new products. She enjoyed checking out the capabilities and vulnerabilities of the systems. She just didn’t like giving him or one of his cronies an excuse to come into her rooms and set something new up. Once a year was more than enough.

 

Téa snorted. “Must be hard on you. My parents still have dial up. I think their computer was still running DOS or something.” Seto cringed a bit inwardly. Relics were for museums, not active use.

 

“Anyways, what I wanted to ask was, if that was all your computer stuff on the desk, what was that big thing in the corner of the room?”

 

Seto raised an eyebrow at her. “How much investigating did you do before you realized that you opened the wrong door?”

 

Téa put her hands up. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to snoop, just curious. It’s not everyday that I end up in a house that belongs to a tech billionaire and his cranky kid and see some weird time machine looking thing.”

 

“Why can’t you just watch the movie?”

 

“It’s in black and white. That one guy just stole a brain, what lesson am I supposed to get out of this? That stealing brains is bad? That stealing evil brains is even _more_ bad?”

 

Seto looked thoughtful. “For you, stealing one to use would actually be an act of community service. Help you contribute to society for once.”

 

Téa flung a couple of chips at her. “Screw you, I just wanted to know what that weird thing does. I want to know if this night is going to end with you murdering me in my sleep to finish some sick science experiment you’re working on.”

 

Seto gave her an annoyed look. “Can you ever reign you imagination in? Why would I kill you?”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“Because,” Téa started, and then shut her mouth. _‘_ _Because I kept fighting with you.’_

 

‘ _Because I almost got you expelled.’_

 

‘ _Because I still can’t stop trying to take the piss out of you just because you exist.’_

 

The ultimate downside of Seto never wanting to talk about what happened was that there never was any closure. No closure, no solution, no greater understanding other than neither one of them wanted to talk about it.

 

And there they were, eating snacks on Seto’s bedroom floor on Halloween. Whatever the hell that made them.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“Because that’s just what evil geniuses do.”

 

“And that’s what I am?” Seto asked, not bothered by the turn of the conversation. More and more, Téa had been talking to her like that, less skittish and more like how Yugi and Ryou talked to her. More like Ryou, definitely.

 

“If you tell me that machine pops out puppies and rainbows, I’d be inclined to believe you weren’t.”

 

Letting out an exasperated breath, Seto used the remote to lower the volume of the movie. Once the doctor and his rantings were silenced, Seto stood up, and unceremoniously dragged Téa up by the back of her shirt.

 

“Hey, I was watching that!”

 

“I’m not going to be able to sleep if I think you’re going to be sneaking into my office in the middle of the night.” Pulling Téa towards the study door, she used her free hand to winch it open and turn on a light. Moving past her desk and work station, she pushed Téa towards the back of the room. Seto let go of Téa and used both hands to point at it.

 

“This is what you’re asking about, right?”

 

Tucked in the back part of her office, it was roughly the size of a small tanning bed. Rounded at the edges and polished with a light gleam, it reminded her of some sort of high tech kitchen appliance more than a multi-million dollar investment of the family company. Aside from the control panel and Kaiba Corp logo already stenciled upon it, it was fairly plain and unassuming.

 

But inside, so much potential…

 

“This,” Seto said, “is a Kaiba Corp prototype. It was decommissioned due to it’s lack of functionality, but it was originally developed for…..a project.” She felt the words drying up on her tongue. Spilling classified Kaiba Corp information, and for what? Because she had a guest over and needed something to say? Even _Noah_ would be surprised at her.

 

“Wow, ‘a project’. That doesn’t sound shadowy or spooky at all.” Téa replied sarcastically.

 

“You don’t exactly have the clearance to know what it is, so we should just go back and watch the movie.’

 

“Ah, come on.” Téa whined. “You think I’m some kind of spy or something? Or I’m gonna tell everyone at school you have some creepy machine in your room that totally isn’t going to be used for world domination?”

 

Seto sighed. The principle of the matter meant she shouldn’t talk about it. That should have been the end of that. But….it _was_ decommissioned. As far as Seto knew, Noah had shuttered the entire program. And it wasn’t like Téa was going to understand enough of it to repeat anyways.

 

“You understand how a printer works, right?”

 

“Huh?” Téa seemed taken off guard by the question. “Of course, yeah. Isn’t exactly rocket science.”

 

“Well, that is similar to this prototype’s intended task. But instead of making a permanent 2D copy of data, whether it be a picture or a word document, this was intended to create organic matter using chemical ingredients based on orders from a computer.”

 

Téa looked confused. “So, it can, make stuff? Like, what exactly?”

 

“The intention behind it was to be able to create organic matter, replicating things already in existence whose chemical make ups we understand. It was intended for medical purposes. Think about organ transplants. People are on the transplant lists for years, and there aren’t nearly enough donated organs to go around.” Téa scrunched up her nose, but nodded. “The main idea behind this was to create tissue, up to full on organs, that could be used with a lower risk of the body rejecting the transplanted organ.”

 

There was a stunned silence between them for a few moments.

 

“Wow.” Téa said breathily. “This completely validates my idea that your company is run by evil scientists, and that you’re one of them.”

 

“Really? That’s all you take away from this?” Seto walked closer to the machine. “If the trials work, this would be a godsend. The chemical components of an organ mixed with a sample of the intended recipient's DNA, and almost overnight the organ donor program would be rendered obsolete. Diseases that resulted in organ failure that were once death sentences could be managed in a matter of weeks. This would revolutionize medicine!”

 

Téa gave her a smirk. “Look at you, miss ice princess, getting all passionate. You should join the science club sometime.”

 

Deflating a bit, Seto crossed her arms in front of her. “This is just one of the things that Kaiba Corp works on developing. That it even got as far as the initial trails in an achievement in itself.”

 

“So…...does it work?”

 

“You’re missing the point. It, the trails were not successful in the lab. After a period of testing, it was an executive order to shelve the project in order to reallocate resources to more promising projects.” Seto explained.

 

“Huh. I guess that makes sense. I think.” Téa replied, brushing some of her still damp hair out of her face. “But why do you have it? Look at your room, it doesn’t exactly scream ‘ _sentimental_ ’. Why have a gigantic paperweight of a failed science project taking up space?” A light bulb seemed to light up over her head. “And why do you even have it? You said that you can’t do anything with Kaiba Corp!”

 

Seto inclined her head. “That’s true, I can’t. That’s something that’s been enforced. But this machine has been decommissioned, and it was presented to me as a sort of, compromise. Something to study and do my own research upon.”

 

Téa was unfortunately good at reading between the lines. “Since this is in _his_ house, and is _his_ tech from _his_ company, I’m guessing that you got this from Noah. Why, exactly?” She questioned, putting her hands on her hips. “Was this some kind of messed up birthday present or something?

 

Seto scoffed. “Of course this wasn’t a birthday present. It was….a compromise.”

 

“You keep saying that but what does that mean?”

 

“It means,” Seto said, feeling a little more uncomfortable, “that he gave it to me to study after I switched school districts. A _compromise_. A sort of compensation.”

 

“Oh.” Téa looked a little guilty at that. It wasn’t like what happened back at Princeton Academy had been her fault. However, everything that had happened at Domino High? Mostly Téa’s fault.

 

But willingly working together with Seto to improve her grades had been a compromise on Téa’s part. Inviting Seto into her home? A gesture of peace, one that Noah had decided to reciprocate on her behalf.

 

And to be honest, having an actual guest in her home, in her rooms no less, wasn’t as terrible as she thought it would be.

 

“Come on, let’s get back to the movie. I don’t want to miss the experiment.” Seto walked out of her office, turning off the light behind her. After a moment, she heard Téa shuffling after her, closing the door and leaving Noah’s brainchild in the dark.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“ _It’s alive! **It’s alive!** ”_

 

While seventy years past its ability to shock an audience, Téa supposed she could appreciate the theatricality of the acting. Seto and Téa were back on the floor, Téa decimating their supply of snacks as Seto got in a bite or two.

 

“Hey.” Seto glanced over at Téa before looking back at the screen. “How come I never heard anything on the news about that machine? With the way you talked about it, it seems like the kind of thing that would get front page news.”

 

Seto pressed her lips into a firm line. “The prototype’s creation was never released outside of the company. Only people outside of the project team with the proper security clearance would have been aware of it. It was related to an old government contract. Due to the nature of its premise, manipulating organic matter, there were a lot of moral implications to consider.”

 

“What do you mean? You said it would help a lot of people.”

 

“It’s more complicated than that. Say the prototype succeeded and Kaiba Corp was able to create usable organs. What then? Just keep using the technology to create organs, or develop it further? Create solely on a need-to basis, or create a market of cloned organs? Why stop at organs at all? The cloning of just a sheep raised enough ethical issues. However, since the prototype design never got past initial trials, it rendered the point moot.”

 

“That’s kind of a bummer.” Téa said. “Think they’ll ever figure it out?”

 

Téa was only looking at Seto’s face from the corner of her eye, but she thought she saw the other girl’s lips quirk up into the slightest of smirks.

 

“I’m sure someday. Now be quiet and enjoy the movie.”

 

~~~

 

The movie still running in the background and the snack supply replenished, the girls found a different way to occupy their time. It was already heading towards midnight, but neither one seemed very tired. Seto’s idea to prep for an upcoming test Téa had coming the next week was shot down pretty quickly.

 

“What about some music?” Téa had been hovering near Seto’s stereo for a while. “It’d be nice to have something playing in the background besides a movie monsters terrorizing people.” The rain had been getting heavier throughout the night, and the occasional crack of thunder was getting more and more common.

 

Seto shrugged. “Sure, find something you’d like.”

 

“Mind if I play something I brought? I have some cassette tapes with me.”

 

“If you want.” Seto said slowly. “Just try to keep it down, he might be sleeping by now.”

 

“Got it.” Téa loaded one of her mother’s tapes into the cassette deck. A few button presses later, and the sound of synthesized keyboards started playing through the speakers.

 

Téa turned around to check out Seto’s reaction. For the most part, Seto looked busy reading some science magazine she had gotten out of her office, but she could see a little frown on her face.

 

“You like?”

 

Seto glanced up. “It’s….fine.”

 

Téa cocked a hip. “Let me guess, you’re more of a classical music kind of girl. Music, movies, just not interested in this century, right? Kind of weird for a girl so obsessed with modern technology.”

 

“It’s not weird. I’m just not very interested in music. Classical music’s fine, I prefer it as background noise.”

 

“Hm. I’m sure all of the old masters would just _love_ to hear that you consider their work worthy of background noise.” Seto gave her a glare over her magazine, but didn’t have a response. Téa felt a little triumphant.

 

“All the more reason to introduce you to some good taste.” Téa said, settling herself back down near the still cranky Seto. “And there’s not a better time than Halloween for some Oingo Boingo.”

 

“That’s an actual band?”

 

“Just listen and you can complain about it later. Hey, I have an idea.” She flipped through one of her magazines and opened up to the quiz section. “Let’s find out who your dream man would be.”

 

An eye-roll was all the response that she got. “Really? You think that’s great? Awesome, let’s get started!”

 

“Please leave me out of your inane hobbies.”

 

“Question number one!” Téa cheerfully started off. “Where would your ideal romantic getaway be? Dining in Paris? The Tokyo nightlife? At the beach in Mexico? Holed up in your room like a hermit?”

 

Another glare.

 

“D, huh? Question number two: what is the number one trait you look for in a man? A strong body? A handsome face? A sense of humor? Convert oxygen into carbon dioxides?”

 

“You really need to stop talking to me.” Seto replied icily. Téa just shrugged and kept reading it to herself.

 

“Alright, I tallied it up.” Seto was still ignoring her, but Téa was undeterred. “According to this, you are looking for a something that can give you the love and warmth you are looking for. You matched up with a toaster.”

 

“If you’re really that bored, you can just go to sleep. It’s getting late.”

 

“Didn’t realize that you had a bedtime.” She looked over at the bookshelves. “Is there a book I should read you to help you go to sleep?”

 

“Just be quiet.” They both went back to reading their respective magazines as the music and movie played on. For a moment, there was silence between the girls.

 

It didn’t last.

 

“You know, you told me why you have that thing in your office. But you never said why you kept it.”

 

“Didn’t I?” Seto said cryptically.

 

“Yeah, you didn’t.” Téa answered back. “It is some weird symbol thing? All ‘ _hubris of man_ ’ and all?”

 

Seto turned to another page in her magazine, but she didn’t seem to be reading it. “It’s not a symbol.”

 

“Then why do you have that hunk of junk?” Téa was more than a bit exasperated by Seto’s lack of an actually answer.

 

“Because.” Seto said slowly, and this time Téa could see the little smile on her face. “It can’t be junk if it works.”

 

“Bullshit.” Téa countered, turning to face her properly. “You said Noah scrapped it because no one could make it work.”

 

The smirk was in full force then. “Except for me.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“There’s no way you figured it out.”

 

Seto was seated at her desk, clicking away at some program that took up two of the three screens that were set up. They had migrated back into Seto’s office, and she was setting up the program that controlled the machine.

 

“Just because he locked me out of the company doesn’t mean that I don’t get around that sometimes. It’s not exactly hard to find Kaiba Corp tech, and I like going through the different lines of code when I pick the operating systems apart.”

 

“Sounds, exciting.” Despite her demanding that Seto prove that she wasn’t full of shit, Téa didn’t seem very enthusiastic about learning all of the details.

 

“Maybe not exciting in a conventional sense, but it’s a good way to get to know how something is built and how it can run. Once you know that, doing repairs or building something new becomes a lot more simple.” Seto explained.

 

“And that’s what you did to figure this thing out?” Téa asked, moving from standing behind Seto’s chair over to the machine. She laid a hand on it, feeling the cool, smooth texture. The Kaiba Corp lettering glittered up at her.

 

“Yes, but just because it was simple didn’t mean it was easy. It took about a month and a half to go over the different drivers and figure out what was wrong.”

 

“Is that all you did? Hole yourself up in your little office and keep running numbers until you got something right?”

 

Seto shrugged. If possible, she looked a little embarrassed. “I had a lot of free time. Aside from Game Club, there wasn’t much else.”

 

Téa scoffed, but still found herself smiling. “To think, I kept being pissy about you about joining Yugi’s club, and in fact he and Ryou were keeping you from finishing your evil plans sooner than you otherwise would have.”

 

“There’s nothing evil about trying to fix something that could help a lot of people if it worked.” Seto countered matter of factly.

 

“So that’s why it’s still sitting here and it’s not back at Kaiba Corp finishing those tests you were talking about?”

 

Seto shoulders hunched again. She didn’t want to admit that Téa technically had a point. “I’m not actually supposed to be working on any of this yet. Member of the Kaiba family or not, being locked out means that I don’t have the security clearance to actively work on projects like this, decommissioned or not. Just tinkering with some tech in my office is one thing, trying to get it released is another.”

 

“So you’re actually tested it out?”

 

_Well…_

 

“No.”

 

“No? _**No**_?! You just said that you could make it work!”

 

“I can make it work.” Seto said through gritted teeth. “That doesn’t mean that I’ll actually _try_ to make it work. All those moral and ethical issues I talked about before? They still apply. And besides, do you really think that if I’m going to test it, I’m going to test it _here_? Do you think these are sterile or safe conditions?”

 

“I guess not.” Téa answered. Seto had already finished up setting up the program, and let it sit idly on the screen. “I can get to to respond and accept data from the computer, but I’ve never made it execute the command. A dry run, mostly.”

 

“Well, that’s not much fun. Come on, let’s go back in your room.” Tugging on the back of Seto’s chair, she waited for Seto to stand up before she went back into the bedroom.

 

The music kept playing as the girls went back to their places on the floor. Téa managed to snag Seto’s magazine first, flipping through a few pages before tossing it back. Onscreen, the monster was being chased by the irate villagers, it’s end near. The silence between the two girls was comfortable, but Téa could help but want a little bit more.

 

Then the idea struck.

 

“Hey,” she said, nudging Seto with her foot. Seto shifted back against the bed to get out of reach, but otherwise ignored her. “Hey, do you know what would be fun?”

 

“Brushing our teeth and getting ready for bed?”

 

“Mmm, later maybe.” She pushed the rest of her magazines towards Seto, and added her science magazine to the pile. “You said your machine can make anything, right?”

 

Seto looked at her considerately. “It has the _potential_ to create inorganic and organic matter. Not quite the same thing.”

 

“Close enough. I was thinking, that maybe, maybe we could try to make something.”

 

Seto let out a huff. “Absolutely not.”

 

“Hear me out.” Téa said, holding up her hand. “You said you could get your program thingy running up on your computer, right? You can set up what you want the machine to make, and just not set it into motion. A dry run, like you said.”

 

“Yes, but-”

 

“So why don’t we do that? You know, a little teamwork, a little bonding, what’s not to like?”

 

“How about-”

 

“How about you expand your horizons a bit? You can’t just spend the rest of your high school life hanging out in your room listening to old music and being sad that you’re a stuffy old person stuck in a young person’s body?”

 

“Do you ever _not_ look to pick a fight with me?”

 

“Seto, just think.” Téa grabbed Seto’s shoulder, and leaned in close to the point where their foreheads almost touched. “Why don’t we create the perfect man?”

 

The look on Seto’s face changed from stony annoyance to ever so slightly dumbfounded. It took her almost a full minute to find her voice. “You’re an idiot.”

 

“and you’re boring. Come one, let’s do it.” She let go of Seto and held up one of her magazines. “Your computer, my magazines. We can scan a bunch of stuff in and you can dummy up a test run. Come, it’ll be fun, it’ll be fun.”

 

Seto still looked at her like she had grown a third head. “Didn’t anything I tell you sink into your head?” She gestured at the TV, where the monster found that having a burning windmill collapse on him was not at all to his liking. “Or the movie? Why would you even want to try and do something like that?”

 

“Because A) why the hell not, and B) we’re not actually trying to make your machine do anything. No harm, no foul, just some good, clean entertainment.”

 

“Do you really think I want you scanning some half naked men onto my computer?”

 

“It wouldn’t _just_ be half naked men.” Téa corrected. “We would be making the perfect guy, we’d have to work on his personality too.”

 

Seto shook her head at her. “You’re unbelievable, you know? And the answer is no.” The look on her face didn’t bode well for any compromise. Upon seeing that, Téa decided that she’d have to modify her battle plan. She stood up, brushing imaginary dust off of her pajama pants.

 

“OK, Seto. You win. We don’t have to do it.”

 

“Great, now let’s get ready for bed, I’ll show you to your guest room.”

 

But Téa, smiling, shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll get someone to help me find it.”

 

Seto looked up at her slowly. “Like _who_?”

 

Téa clasped her hands together. “Well, you know, your big brother, he’s still in the house, right?”

 

Seto immediately didn’t like where the conversation was going. “What does he have to do with-”

 

“I’ll just gallivant about, find him, we can have a sweet little chat, and I’ll bring him back here,” she said, moving closer and closer to the door, “because poor little Seto got scared watching a scary movie and she needs her big, strong, handsome brother to come and comfort her. Isn’t that what big brothers are for?”

 

Seto’s face pinched as little splotches of red returned to her cheeks. “You wouldn’t dare.”

 

“ _Oh Noah, she’s just so frightened! Can you just take her into your arms and let her feel safe again?”_ Téa said in an exaggerated falsetto.

 

“I swear I’ll-”

 

“ _You can take me in your arms as well, you big, strong, handsome-”_

 

“I hate you.”

 

Téa just giggled, “Or, I can stay in here and we can do what I said. Sound good?”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It did not sound good, but Seto still found herself in her office, adding new perimeters to the program as Téa was happily cutting out pages from her magazines and chatting.

 

“I’m glad I brought these back issues, I still haven’t finished reading my new issue yet.”

 

“Great.” Seto grumbled. Seto responded by poking her with a handful of cut outs. “Scan these if you please.”

 

“You do it, you’re closer to the scanner.”

 

“Fine.” Téa got up, ‘accidentally’ shoving Seto and putting in each slip of paper as annoyingly as possible. Seto had to keep attaching the scanned images to the program, each one feeling like a punishment. Outside, there was a particularly loud rumble of thunder, as if the sky disagreed with what was going on too.

 

“How many pictures do you even need? How do you expect the program to run all of this anyways?” There were already pictures of ten different men, what was Téa even looking for?

 

“You know, you can add some too. There’s got to be somebody who gets you going.”

 

Seto let out a low groan. If this was what ‘ _girl talk_ ’ actually was, she regretted ever being curious about it. “Aren’t you embarrassed showing me all of this?”

 

“No.” Téa replied easily. “Hey, you can adjust height, right? Or what about age, how would that even work?”

 

Seto brought up a hand to rub her temple with while the other kept typing. “Maybe it’ll use the pictures as size references. We can input it manually anyways.”

 

“What do you mean maybe?”

 

“I mean maybe, because even in the trials this prototype was only meant to create organic matter, like organ tissue. Not a whole damn body.”

 

“Hm, maybe your scientists just lacked imagination.” Téa said with a tilt of her head.

 

“I don’t think asking them to act like a bunch of perverts would have done much to help.”

 

“Oh Seto, all those brains, and not a hint of imagination. Sad, really.” She held up Seto’s magazine. “Do you mind if I take a couple of pictures out of this? Too late.” She was already pulling one of the pages out.

 

“Do have you any sense of, that’s mine you know!” Seto tried pulling the page out of her hand, but it was already getting shoved into the scanner. A few moments later, the image showed up on her main screen. “…..really?”

 

“Hey, expanding my horizons and all, I said we were going to make a dream man.” Téa countered, as the pictures of an ancient pharaoh’s golden sarcophagus finished loading.

 

“So your ideal guy is one who’s dead? I’ve truly underestimated you, Gardner.”

 

“I like the Mummy movies, bite me. Plus, Yugi’s grandfather used to travel a lot when he was young. Ended up at a couple of excavations in Egypt, even brought some stuff back. He’d show you, if you’d ever come back to the game shop.” Téa spoke the last part a little quieter, feeling a touch of guilt. Seto never even noticed.

 

“So nice that grave robbing gave him an exciting souvenir.”

 

“Wow, that’s rude. Technically right, but super rude.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I see him.” Seto added offhandedly. She wasn’t sure if she meant it, but Téa felt something loosening in her gut hearing that.

 

“I’m sure that would make Yugi happy. Speaking of Yugi, do you have a crush on him or something?”

 

If Téa was expecting an amusing overreaction to the change in conversation, Seto disappointed her. “Again, you and your imagination.”

 

“Come on, you’re the crankiest person I’ve ever met, and yet somehow you keep showing up to an after school club dedicated only to games? You, who probably read the riot act to your kindergarten teacher for coloring outside of the lines? You gotta have an ulterior motive, something deep down, under all of that icy skin.”

 

“You know, you can still go find my brother. I’m sure he’ll still awake, maybe that would be better than listening to this.”

 

Undeterred, Téa went on. “Yugi’s a good guy. Too good for you, but hey, dare to dream. He used to have a crush on me ages ago, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Good guy, big heart. Probably the reason he lets you hang out with him.”

 

“I’m sure he’s _thrilled_ that you hand out that information so freely.”

 

“Or is it Ryou? You just like shorter guys or something? Probably for the best since you’re so freakishly tall and all.”

 

“Are you done scanning stuff yet? I want to go to sleep sometime tonight.”

 

“Almost finished.” A few more pictures from Seto’s magazine were sacrificed to Téa’s need, and once scanned she stood up and started pushing Seto again. “Move over, I want to type some stuff in too.”

 

Realizing that she should have never let the other girl into her home, Seto gave up, letting her rolling chair by nudged to the right as Téa started typing in more details. “Let’s see, I want him to be smart, funny, protective, a little bit clueless, what else do you think is good?”

 

A glance at Seto’s annoyed face, and Téa went back to typing. “Patient, kind, able to deal with emotionally constipated individuals, cool, confident…..” She kept verbalizing each additional detail until she was finally satisfied. Seto briefly wondered if going out to find Noah herself would really be worse than what she currently was being subjected to.

 

“And that.” Finally finished, she looked triumphantly back at Seto. “Pretty good, right? Don’t answer, I know you’re amazed.” She kept looking overly pleased with herself, but then, her expression started to shift. “Wait, one minute.”

 

She went back into Seto’s bedroom, and with a brief moment of piece, Seto looked over what the other girl had typed. A lot of it was superficial little details about appearance, but mostly there were a stream of personality traits that seemed to boil down to _‘nice and sexy’_.

 

Truly, Gardner was the mind of her generation.

 

Seto sighed quietly. It was all very annoying, but she did at least have an image of what she thought she wanted. It seemed to make her happy enough. Listening to Téa rummage about with her bag in the other room, Seto made a split second decision, adding a few more perimeters to the program.

 

‘ _There. Now he’s perfect.’_

 

Téa was back soon enough, and she came into the office brandishing a scarf. It was knitted and purple. Seto was perplexed. Did she want a man who was part scarf too?

 

“One more thing we were missing!” From the scarf, she plucked off a single hair. It was rather conspicuously blonde. “You said the machine needed a sample of the host’s DNA, right?”

 

Seto’s eyes narrowed. “That better not be what I think it it.”

 

“Hey, we’re not actually running the experiment, I just wanted it to feel a little more authentic, that’s all.” A few steps and she was already at the machine, sticking the hair into the little opening near the control panel. Seto was up on her feet in a second, pushing Téa aside and trying to fish the hair back out.

 

“Have you lost your goddamn mind? Whose is this, even?”

 

“Don’t be silly, stop acting like we’re actually doing it. And it’s Yugi’s, he let me borrow his scarf this morning. Thought it was just going to be cold, not rainy.”

 

Seto’s fingers were long, but she still couldn’t reach deep enough to retrieve the hair. “I don’t care if it’s your hair, you just can’t stick anything with DNA into this! I’ll need to get a technician from the company to take this apart of get the hair out. You’re such an idiot.”

 

Téa started getting defensive and angry. “Hey, what’s your problem? It’s not like it’s plugged in or anything.”

 

Seto pulled out her hand, her fingers sore from the adventure. She mentally cursed herself for not bothering to put on any gloves before sticking _**her**_ damn, DNA laden hand into the slot. “It _IS_ plugged in.”

 

A beat.

 

“Why do hell do you keep it plugged in?” It was Téa’s turn to look dumbfounded, as if Seto was the stupidest smart person in the world. Or at least in the room.

 

“Because, while the machine is mainly harmless, it needs its coolant function to be working to keep the components from having a chemical reaction to the oxygen in the air.”

 

“Christ, you have this next to your bedroom? _Where you sleep?_ ”

 

“It just needs to be plugged in, regular wall outlet, nothing more than that. I have an override installed into the program to keep it from actually transmitting any of the data to it.”

 

“Alright, jeez. You know, normal people don’t keep stuff in their house that might go nuclear at any moment. Just saying.”

 

“I didn’t say it would be an explosive reaction.” Seto said, rolling her eyes. “It would just damage some of the parts inside of it, making it useless for me to try and do any research on. Since it’s the only prototype that was finished, I’m kind of in charge of keeping it in in working condition in case the company ever recommissions it.”

 

“….so you keep it next to your bedroom?”

 

“Do you want to run the dummy program or not?”

 

“Fine, okay, let’s do this.” Moving next to Seto again, Téa pushed the other girl until both of them were situated in front of the screens. “Should we do a countdown before we start?”

 

Seto pushed enter. “Zero.”

 

“You’re no fun, you know.” But there wasn’t much bite to her words. Instead, she looked on with Seto as all of the perimeters were being processed by the program. The computer modem whirred quietly, even as the rain kept getting louder outside. A flash of lightning lit up the windows briefly, before being followed by a particularly loud peal of thunder. It seemed like the storm was getting closer.

 

Minutes passed, and finally it seemed like the program was almost done analyzing all of the data. Téa glanced at the time at the bottom of the screen. It was almost midnight, and probably time to start reigning this sleepover in.

 

Finally, the lines of data stopped scrolling down, and an error message flashed on the screen. _‘Data analysis compete. Remove program block?’_

 

Téa pouted. “Is that it? It’s not even going to show us a preview image of the guy we made?”

 

Another huff from Seto. “You know it was never meant for something like that, the program’s stalling out since it’s blocked from transmitting the data. This is the end of the line.”

 

Téa still looked put out. “After watching that movie, I was kind of hoping for something a little more dramatic. If Dr Frankenstein got to act like a maniac and create a man, I don’t see why we couldn’t at least get a picture.”

 

It didn’t matter either way to Seto. “Well, as entertaining as this was, it’s time to call it a night. You should-”

 

Her last word is cut off as a blinding flash of light lit up the room. Within less than a second, a booming crash of thunder seemed to come outside of the house.

 

“Wha-” Everything seemed to happen at once. The light bulbs in the room all grew brighter at once before Seto could hear a few of them burn out. Her computer screens flickered, with the secondary one shutting off as the other kept flickering angrily. Everything electrical in her rooms just seemed to hum with energy, and it felt like there was something invisible filling up all the spaces. Téa’s hand was on Seto’s shoulder in a death grip.

 

“Did that hit the house, or-”

 

“The generators outside, probably.” Seto said with more calm than she felt. The weird feeling in the room kept growing, and the electrical hum kept getting louder. She heard the CD tray opening and closing, and the TV grew louder, flickering through channels on its own accord. Her alarm clock kept blaring and shutting itself off over and over again.

 

From her bathroom, she could hear the water running as if being forced from the pipes. It felt like the whole room, no, the whole mansion was going haywire. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glowing in the corner of the room, dim, but slowly getting brighter and brighter.

 

‘ _Oh, fuck.’_

 

She shot up from her seat, and then everything started going crazy.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

 

Téa barely registered that she was clinging to Seto, fingers digging deep enough into her arm to probably bruise. She didn’t care, because A) it was rich girl, and B) everything was going nuts.

 

The lights that hadn’t burned out kept flashing on and off like they were in a fun house, A filing cabinet closer to the hallway door opened up on it’s own, files flying out of it. From Seto’s bedroom, she could hear books falling to the ground, flinging themselves off of the shelves. There was a mighty ‘crack’ to her left, and she saw the room’s sole window with a crack running all the way down the center.

 

It was like a nightmare going on in the house.

 

She felt a tug, and then saw Seto dropping to the ground, getting under the desk. Téa opened her mouth to say something, anything, when Seto’s head bobbed right back up. In her fist was a handful of electrical plugs, all belonging to her computer and everything else electrical by her desk. Looking up, Téa saw the remaining computer screen still on and running, and not to be outdone, the other two lit up, all showing the same screen.

 

There was a new message on the screen.

 

‘ _Override confirmed. Program completed.’_

 

_**Oh.** _

 

There was another flash of lightning, and while it didn’t seem to hit near the house like the last one, it was still close enough for the thunder to make her teeth feel like they were rattling in her mouth.

 

The computer’s whirring kept getting louder and louder, and the _totally harmless machine_ that Seto had to kept next to her damn bedroom seemed to glow, its own insides making a noise that was starting to rival the computers. Seto dived down again, and Téa tried to pull her back.

 

“I need to unplug it too! I have-”

 

“There’s no time, it feels like this room’s going to explode!” Téa was yanking on Seto’s arm, trying to pull her back into to relative safety of the bedroom, while Seto kept fighting against her. Rich girl was tall, but Téa was still strong, so it’s was pretty evenly matched. The twin whirring started to sound violent, and the computer screens started flashing again, one of the screens going out as the other two kept going.

 

Téa felt a wind in the room, and if it was from the broken window or something else all she knew what that she wanted no part of it.

 

“Come on!” She pulled harder, but Seto was determined.

 

Finally, she pulled herself free, and was down at the second outlet yanking out more wires before Téa could catch her again. “There!”

 

But there was no stopping whatever the hell was going on, and the glow started looking ominous, and the pressure in the room grew until Téa thought she was going to scream. Towel falling off of her shoulders, she dug her fingers into Seto’s shoulders, and dragged her out of the room. “COME ON!”

 

The computer sounded like it was going to explode at any moment, and as soon as she pulled Seto through the doorway she slammed the door shut, shoving Seto over towards her bed. She pushed her to the floor on the left side of the bed, the one farthest away from the possibly exploding office. Her ears started popping, and she felt like the world was ending.

 

Seto, like any true mad scientist, kept trying to get up, determined to do whatever stupid ass task she felt warranted doing or die trying. Téa shoved her down again, and pulled the bed’s comforter over on top of them. Everything in the room kept getting louder, and she heard the sound of the office door slowly splintering.

 

‘ _Is it really going to end this way?’_ She thought, still pining a squirming Seto to the ground.

 

Louder, and louder, and louder, and then….

 

She heard the door exploding, sending thousands of little splinters showering across the room. She felt some of the pieces land on top of the think blanket, and felt a momentary gratitude that Seto was human enough to actually use a blanket to sleep. Téa felt herself drawing in huge lungfuls of air, the pressure that had felt like it was suffocating her slowly dissipating from the room. She felt relief pass over her, and felt something under herself too. A few moments later, Téa was unceremoniously shoved off of Seto, head hitting the floor with a dull thud as the ungrateful ice princess scowled at her.

 

Téa scowled right back.

 

“You know, a _‘thank you’_ would be nice. Saving your life and all.”

 

Seto didn’t answer back, but let her scowl shift over to her room. Books in disarray, half the lights burnt out, office undoubtedly in shambles, Téa guessed that that was probably not how Seto had envisioned her Halloween turning out. Hey, it wasn’t like rich girl couldn’t afford to get her room redecorated. Maybe a little less pink, especially since it looked a little sinister with the red emergency lights.

 

Huh. Rich girl had emergency lights in her room. Seto did….did she?

 

Almost if on cue, Seto stiffened up. She was looking over her bed, eyes fixed on what was once the door to her office. Téa pushed herself up and peered over the bed with here. There was a strange, almost garish red light emitting dimly from the office. What looked like smoked gently curdled out from the doorway, obscuring, obscuring what? A shadow? Was there something in the other room?

 

Téa found herself clutching at Seto’s shoulder again. It was less due to terror, which she was beginning to feel, and more due to feeling that Seto was going to rush off to do something stupid as if they were living through a bad slasher flick. She pulled the other girl closer to her, and from the doorway she could see something shift. The shadow, whatever it was, was moving closer.

 

She was particularly attached to the other girl’s back, and she could feel Seto’s chest silently heaving, heart undoubtedly racing just like Téa’s was.

 

She heard something then, the sound of, what? Cloth? Something shuffling? She looked wildly around her, looking for something, anything that could make a makeshift weapon. A lamp that had previous been on Seto’s bedside table was on the floor, very broken, and she pulled the cord out of the outlet. She hefted it up in her free hand, other hand still pinning Seto to the side of the bed so she didn’t so anything stupid like she wanted to.

 

Whatever it was moved again, and this time she knew she heard footsteps. She held the broken lamp tighter. Whatever was coming it, it was going to get a fight.

 

The shadow got bigger, and more smoke dissipated into the room. Closer, closer, and then….

 

Then…

 

 

If everything before had been a nightmare, this had to be the start of a dream.

 

Filling the door frame and illuminated by the red light, the shadow that wasn’t a shadow walked in. A hand held onto the stripped door frame, the other rubbing gently at his neck, because yes, it was a he. Reddish violet eyes seemed to pierce her from across the room. Téa felt like she couldn’t breathe.

 

There was skin, oh, there was skin! All golden, looking as soft as she could ever dare imagine. Her eyes kept looking down. Down from that face, that she almost couldn’t look at because it was too beautiful for her to comprehend. Down the broad shoulder, the sculpted torso, all of that golden skin laid bare for her hungry eyes.

 

Down, down, down…

 

There was a swatch of blue, her towel, she recognized. Fallen during her flight from the office, now wrapped low around his hips barely, hanging on, barely covering….

 

There was a slight laughing sound, and she looked up. There was a smile on his face, and a playful twinkle in his eyes.

 

‘ _Oh god….’_

 

“So,” he spoke breathlessly, “what would you brainiacs like to do first?”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curiosity may have killed the cat, but only one of them is getting any satisfaction out of it. It's not Seto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What to do, what to do.

 

 

Téa didn’t even notice the broken lamp falling from her hand. Both of her hands had gone limp, her grip on Seto’s shoulder lax as all she could think about was laying her hands on that marvelous body.  


She moved to stand up, her feet catching on the comforter as she tried to get closer. Something pulled at her leg even after she was free, but she just brushed it off. She felt her jaw moving, trying to work itself into making a sound, but her mouth was suddenly so dry no words could get out. And truly, utterly, she had no words.

 

His eyes, with that beautiful reddish hue to the violet drew her in, his mouth and his lips beckoning her closer, closer. Just looking at his face, she felt like she could follow him through a desert for all eternity, anything to follow that smile forever.

 

Anything.

 

She moved closer, hand outreached, one step closer to the man who was the culmination of every dream she ever had of love, when something jerked hard at her ankle. Off balance and not even aware enough to notice, Téa went down, her face smacking painfully into the now not-so-soft carpeting as Seto attempted to drag her back by her leg.

 

“Fuc-what the HELL-”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

‘ _What_ ’ was fricking right.

 

‘ _What_ ’ was something, anything, that Seto was desperately raking her mind for, anything that would explain just what was happening in her room and how she should respond.

 

At first responding was easy. Gardner had had her pressed so hard against the bed she could barely breathe, and with what felt like her room entering the 5th dimension, breathing hadn’t felt that important. Doors exploding, red lights out of nowhere, yes, not breathing or doing anything else had felt like just the right course of action to take.

 

But this?

 

_THIS?_

 

Whoever, whatever, whatever the hell was going on, Seto wanted no part of it. The only reason why she hadn’t regressed back to childhood and started screaming for help (from Roland, not Noah) was that she still hadn’t gotten enough air back into her lungs to do anything.

 

Gardner had no such problems, and was joyfully attempting to get closer to the whatever that was still standing in her ruined doorway. If Gardner had a death wish, that was fine, but not on Kaiba family property.

 

She had been so focused on saving Gardner’s life she didn’t even get the chance to take pleasure in seeing the other girl eat the floor so spectacularly. Luckily, she was stunned enough to not start fighting Seto until she had almost completely dragged her back to the side of the bed.

 

“Stop, please, I just, I need to-”

 

“You need to get a grip. Do you even know what’s going on?”

 

Gardner pulled her leg free. “No, and I don’t care. I have to go to him.”

 

“Like hell you’re going to.” But she couldn’t get another grip on Gardner. The other girl lurched up, and Seto had no choice but to leave the tentative safety of the bedside to keep up with her. She managed to grab Gardner’s arm, tugging her back a bit, but only slowing her, not quite stopping her.

 

Hardly more than a dozen feet away from them, the figure at the door just watched. He was smiling, yes, but a slight sort of puzzlement seemed to enter his eyes. Seto wanted him to get the hell out of her room.

 

“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my room?”

 

Yes, those were the exact hard-hitting questions Seto wanted to ask. It helped her ignore the fact that her knees felt like buckling, or she was leaning on Gardner to keep herself upright. She held on despite the other trying to shrug her off. “What are you?”

 

As a million different scenario’s ran through her head, he moved his head. Of all things, his smile got even wider, damn it. The look in his eyes was soft, and it made her skin crawl. Gardner kept pulling harder.

 

“You know, it’s funny you should ask.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Just hearing that musical voice again made Téa want to cry. She kept trying to move forward, but with the way that rich girl was clinging to her, it felt like HE was still a hundred miles away. All she wanted was to wrap her arms around him, and never let him go.

 

“Tell me.” She barely recognized her own voice, but she agreed with it. “Tell me, please.” She reached out a hand, fighting against the force who was still pulling her back.

 

After a beat, the unthinkable happened. The man, whomever he was, stepped away from the door frame. A hand reached out to her, perfectly manicured fingers fanned out, all reaching for her.

 

The towel that hung so dangerously to his hips.

 

She sucked in a deep breath.

 

“Stay right where you are.” Seto had managed to jerk her back a few steps, a panicky undertone in her snarling voice. “Tell me who the hell you are now, or I’ll have security in here in a heartbeat putting you into a world of pain.’

 

His hand fell down a bit, and he let out a sigh. “I’m already going to tell you. Besides,” he shrugged, towel still barely hanging on, “the security detail stationed outside the mansion are currently busy addressing the power overload with the generators. The mansion’s owner is already out there with them, and his main guard is currently sweeping the mansion interior in the case of damage or fire threat.”

 

The words still barely registered to Téa, but she felt fingers dig into the meat of her arm, painful if not for the fact that she was still in awe of his presence.

 

“So what, is that your angle? You use a storm as a cover to break into here? How do you even know any of that?” Téa was slowly noticing that it wasn’t panic in Seto’s voice so much as it was a growing hint of hysteria. The fog around her mind started to clear a bit. “You think you can just break into my home, and get away with-”

 

“Hey, hey. Calm down. I’m not trying to scare you.” His hands were up like they were trying to calm a frightened horse. He had already stopped coming closer, giving Seto the air she so obviously needed.

 

“And I’m not here to hurt you. Either of you.” He added.

 

“Like I believe that.” Téa was becoming increasingly aware that Seto was using her as some sort of makeshift human shield. Pulling away from her still proved fruitless. “Give me a good reason not to get security up here and tearing you to pieces. Just one.”

 

He looks at the two of them, his eyes moving between the two of them. After a moment, his shoulders sag down, his sigh the most normal thing to come from such an ethereal man. Téa was somehow not surprised that Seto could make even the most fantastical beings weary.

 

“Because,” he started, his words soft and carefully measured, “you two created me. And here I am.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

  
Téa felt something warm start low in her gut, gently making it’s way up through her. His words, were they really? But

 

No.

 

There was no way.

 

But, maybe…

 

Téa had never really thought past getting Seto to lighten up and let her mess around with her computer. That she was even in her room(s) in the first place was some sort of bizarre sort of miracle, and with how things had been going that night it seemed like that fight in the locker room was fading farther and farther into the past.

 

But after what had happened with the storm, with the program and that freaky machine that Seto kept next to her damn bedroom, who knew what was possible? That some sort of burglar had come in just as the mansion seemed to be getting pulled into a different dimension seemed too contrived to believe.

 

Unfortunately, contrived was what Seto liked best.

 

“I’m sure. You’ll have a great time explaining that to the police on your way to jail.”

 

He shrugged, letting the threat roll off of his shoulders. “You could call them if you wanted to. It would be a little hard to explain, but I’m sure you could think of something.”

 

Téa had had enough. They could go in circles all night, and while spending time with the mystery man seemed like a good idea, spending it along an increasingly hysterical Seto was not.

 

“Okay, hey, let’s calm down everyone. You,” she pointed at the man, “what’s your name?”

 

He looked thoughtful. “What would you like it to be?”

 

“That’s it, I’m calling the-”

 

“Stop it,” Téa cut off Seto. She looked back over at the man. “I’m trying to help you, just start with your name so we can figure this out.”

 

“And I told you, what would you like it to be? You both created me, I would like the two of you to pick for me.”

 

He was committed, Téa could give him that. She thought up a new angle.

 

“Okay, how about this: if we made you, can you prove it? Like 100% certain, zero doubt, can you prove it? Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed by now, but rich girl,” she jerked her thumb at Seto, “is just itching to start screaming and getting all of the security suits in here. So, not to be rude, but can you prove it? Please?”

 

Seto didn’t even bother to protest the screaming bit, that’s how Téa knew things were going bad.

 

He looked at her, then over at Seto, and brought a hand to his mouth. “How to prove it? Hmm. Well, I can’t really change how either of you feel, but maybe I can demonstrate something. Would that be alright?”

 

“Yeah, sure, whatever, that’d be great. Whenever you’re ready.” Demonstrate it? What was he going to do, pull out a birth certificate with their names on it from under the towel?

 

‘ _Actually….’_

 

But that thought was caught off as his face brightened, and he snapped his fingers. Her vision seemed blurred for a second, and she rubbed her eyes with her hands. “Really, what was that-”

 

Then she really opened up her eyes.

 

Everything was gone.

 

No, check that, all of the debris was gone, gone because everything in the recently-trashed room was suddenly fixed and back in their places. Like it was an hour ago when the extent of Téa’s worries was what troublesome customers she’d have at work during her afternoon shift the next day.

 

She looked around herself, feeling a little stunned. There was a movement behind her, but she wasn’t really paying attention, even when there was a dull thud in the room. The bookshelves, the floor, everything was back in its place.

 

Turning towards the office, the door was still painfully absent, but the myriad of splinters that went shooting out were all gone. Everything was fine, everything was back in it’s place, and holy shit how the hell did he-

 

There was a tap on her shoulder and Téa let out an undignified shriek. Spinning around, she saw him standing near her, hand withdrawing as he had an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

“You didn’t.” She said shakily, a fake smile on her face as she tried to steady the rapid tempo of her heartbeat.

 

He just nodded as if she wasn’t lying to him. “Yes, but you see” he pointed somewhere behind himself, “I think you’re friend needs you.”

 

“Huh?” Friend? She looked around again. Oh yeah, Seto was…

 

Where was she?

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

As soon as her eyes registered just what he deemed suitable as a ‘ _demonstration_ ’, Seto had decided that she had had enough.

 

Moving past a still dumbfounded Téa, Seto quickly made her way into her bathroom, making sure to lock BOTH doors before leaning against the one that led into her bedroom. Feeling her knees get weak, she let herself slowly slide down until she was sitting on the floor, her hands clasped tightly against her mouth to prevent any sounds from coming out.

 

Sounds like the screaming that was currently going on in her head.

 

‘ _Oh god oh god oh god oh god’_

 

Noah was going to kill her.

 

No, that wasn’t true. Noah wasn’t going to kill her. Noah was going to throw her out of the family like he had always planned and gleefully turn her over to the authorities. Unauthorized use of Kaiba Corp technology, reckless endangerment, willful violation of at least a dozen international agreements against human cloning, the list went on. She would become a pariah of the scientific community, and her story would end with her at the Hague, being sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity.

 

_She could see Noah testifying against her, his crocodile tears on full display._

 

‘ _Your honor, I don’t understand how it could happen! Such evil, lurking underneath the surface, and in my own home too! Oh please, lock her away, lock her away!’_

 

_And Mokuba would be sadly waving her off as she was dragged away to prison._

 

_Téa, of course, would be deemed too stupid to have been a part of the endeavor. She’d get off scot-free, back to being a menace on the streets…._

 

“HEY!” As if on cue, she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door. It was followed by a loud, incessant knocking that Seto did her best to ignore. She wasn’t finished imagining how ruined her life was about to be.

 

“I said HEY!” There was a kick to the door to punctuate her point. It hit Seto in the small of her back, but all she did was move forward a bit, head cradled in her hands.

 

“Do you think she’s alright?” Seto could hear the concerned voice of the possible scientific abomination. She closed her eyes, digging her fingers into her head.

 

“I swear if you don’t come out, I’m going to kick your pansy ass!” Téa seemed undeterred.

 

If this was all really happening, perhaps Seto could get the jump on everyone. She didn’t have much actual money, Noah controlled all of their finances, but she was smart enough, she’d manage. She’d make a run for it, leave this nightmare behind her. But what about Mokuba? She couldn’t just leave him behind, or make him go on the run with her…

 

He was still at the slumber party, maybe she could meet him there...

 

There were more kicks against the door. “Open this door before I break it down! Open it!”

 

“Excuse me.” There was that voice again! There was a polite knocking on the door. “Ms Seto?”

 

“Don’t talk to me.” Seto mumbled into her hands. She didn’t care if he could hear her.

 

“Ah, Ms Seto, won’t you please come out? There’s something important you’re needed for.”

 

She let out a light groan. “Just go.”

 

“But one of your guards is in the hallway and he’s coming to check on you two. Won’t you please come out?”

 

Her eyes shot open.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“What?” Téa barely got the words out before she could her footsteps coming down the hall.

 

“Shit.” Well, he had mentioned that one of the security detail had been checking the house while Noah and the rest dealt with the generators. Of course he’d come check on the princess of the house.

 

Said princess who was currently locked in her own bathroom having a meltdown.

 

‘ _Shit_!’

 

Panicking, she stumbled around the room, looking for something, anything that could help. She grabbed a magazine off the floor. Pretend to read it and act like Seto had an upset stomach? Like hell he wouldn’t check with Seto directly. Break the door open and drag Seto out? He might think something was wrong. What to do, what to do-

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

“Miss Kaiba, are you awake? Are you and your guest alright?”

 

Turning, Téa watched in horror as none other than the mystery man, still only in a towel, was calmly standing by the door, reaching for the door knob as if it was the most natural thing to do.

 

“Miss Kaiba?”

 

The bathroom door slammed open.

 

Glancing behind her, Téa could see Seto marching out of her bathroom, face alarmingly blank and tight. She crossed her room quickly, grabbing the man’s arm before Téa could even move to stop him. Wordlessly, she dragged him back, pulling him towards the bathroom before unceremoniously shoving him in, closing the door gently behind her.

 

Next, she moved onto Téa. The other girl felt herself stepping back as Seto descended upon her. Magazine still clutched in her hand, Téa found herself being pushed onto the bed so she was sitting on it.

 

“ _Act natural.”_ Seto hissed at her underneath her breath. Téa nodded, but Seto was already moving towards the door.

 

“Ms Seto, are you even there, I’m coming in...”

 

Hand on the doorknob, Seto stopped. Téa watched her from the bed, flabbergasted as in a quick motion she grabbed the bottom edges of her sweater and pulled it over her head, leaving her in just a thin undershirt and bra. Sweater discarded, she opened up the door.

 

On the other side, fist still upraised, was one of the security personnel, looking a touched bewildered. At the sight of her, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Miss Kaiba, I’m glad you’re safe! The generators overloaded, I came here to check, if you’re...”

 

His words petered out, the fact that one of his young charges was in a state of partial undress in front of him. Face coloring, he averted his gaze, eyes settling anywhere that wasn’t on her body. When he looked over at Téa, she waved back at him, one hand still clutching the unread magazine, hoping she looked remotely like someone normal.

 

“Hm? Did something happened outside?” The easy innocence that Seto spoke with seemed a world away from the girl who had just barricaded herself in her own bathroom. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Well, you see, yes, well,” the man was getting more and more agitated by the moment, eyes still flickering around the room. Seto had positioned herself so he couldn’t see the still missing door to her study. “That’s what I’m checking. To see what’s okay. And everything’s okay here, yes?”

 

Seto looked back over at Téa. “Is everything fine?”

 

Téa’s smile got wider. It almost hurt her face. “Everything’s fine! Nothing’s wrong here?”

 

Seto nodded and looked back at the man. “You see? Everything’s fine, Roland. In fact, the two of us were about to turn it.” She put her hand over her midsection, and if possible his face got even redder. “To be honest, I’m cramping something kind of awful. Téa’s going to sleep here tonight too, would you mind getting her bag from the guest room? Please?”

 

“Of course, Miss Kaiba! I’ll be right back!” The man all but fled, his footsteps loud as he dashed to the nearest guest room. Téa opened her mouth to say something, but Seto’s head snapped back to face her. Her face was pinched and furious looking. _‘Shut the hell up.’_ She mouthed at her. Swallowing, Téa nodded quickly.

 

The sound of thudding footsteps coming back had Seto plastering her innocent look back on her face. Out of breath, Roland held out Téa’s bag to Seto. “Miss Kaiba, here you are, if there’s anything you need, you, well...”

 

“That will be all, thank you.” She politely closed the door on his face. She stood there, back still to Téa as the girls held their breaths, waiting to hear him leave. After a few more moments, they could hear his footsteps retreating, no doubt to check the rest of the mansion for damage.

 

There was a dull ‘thunk’ as Téa’s bag hit the floor. Turning on her heel, Seto reached down to snatch up her sweater, pulling it over her head as she made her way to the bathroom door. After huffing out a deep breath, she opened the door.

 

Téa could see their guest sitting on the closed toilet seat, cheerfully waving at them.

 

Seto closed the door again.

 

“Hey, what gives?” Finally unfrozen, Téa slipped off of the bed, pushing past Seto to jerk the door open. He didn’t look fazed by the rude reception, and Téa gently ushered him out of the bathroom.

 

“He seemed nice. No wonder your brother trusts him with his family.”

 

“Shut up.” Seto hissed at him, arms crossed in front of her. “Don’t talk to me like you know me.”

 

“God, how about you shut up for a minute?” Threat passed, Téa felt like she could breathe again. “Hey,” she looked over at their guest. “You mind telling us your name now?”

 

“I told you already-”

 

“I know you told us already, but come on, give us a hint.” Téa interrupted.

 

He looked patiently at the two of them, Téa flustered, Seto still glowering. “If you could pick for me, I’d would appreciate that.”

 

“How about ‘ _pain in the ass_ ’?”

 

“Shut up, Seto.” Téa snapped, She thought for a minute, racking her brain. Then she thought of Seto’s science magazine.

 

“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” Any idea was better than none, right? “What about Atem?”

 

“ _Adam_?” Seto shot her an incredulous look, but the man just seemed like he was considering it.

 

“No, _Atem_. It’s a name I read in one of Yugi’s history books about Egypt, I liked it.”

 

“That’s a stupid reason-”

 

“I like it. Atem.” He rolled the name off his tongue like he was playing with it. “Atem. _Atem_. Yes, very good, thank you very much.” He shot Téa a pleased, grateful smile, and Téa felt herself get tingly.

 

“Don’t mention it, it’s-”

 

“If you’re finished talking about things that don’t matter, how about you use your pitiful excuse for a brain and think of something.” Seto interrupted, now pacing around the room. “We need to think of something. We need a plan, any kind of plan.”

 

It was exhausting watching her. “Can you just stop freaking out for thirty seconds? Can’t you even appreciate what just happened?”

 

Seto stopped in her tracks, wheeling at Téa. “And what I am supposed to appreciate?” She spat out. “Is it A) some delusional maniac broke into my room and we’re suffering mass delusions along with him, or B) we actually, we actually DID what he said we did.”

 

“But we did!” Téa protested, grabbing Seto’s shoulders and shaking her a bit. “It totally worked! You’re a genius for figuring it out! How are you not bouncing on the walls right now, isn’t this what you wanted?”

 

And wasn’t it? For all the pissing and moaning Seto did about her older brother, she seemed determined to win his approval, one way or another. Didn’t she want to be acknowledged, to become a part of the family business? Didn’t she want him to know her worth?

 

Seto shoved her off. “What I wanted? Do you think I wanted to take years of Kaiba Corp policies and ethical guidelines and shove them down the drain for what amounts to a parlor trick? Do you think I wanted to take the tiniest sliver of trust my brother had in my when it came to the company tech, and just smash it to pieces? Do you?”

 

“God, just calm down. Why do you have to be so dramatic?”

 

“Because we did something wrong!” Seto said through gritted teeth. She seemed to be doing all she could to keep from screaming and alerting Roland to a problem. “We never should have even touched it, let alone run a mock program, and for what? For your stupid little fantasy.”

 

Téa’s good mood from before had all but dissolved. “Not like I had a gun to your head. Can you just stop having your little freak out, or at least take it back into the bathroom? You know, you’re surprisingly useless in a crisis.”

 

“And you’re normally just useless.” But by the way Seto’s shoulders sagged, Téa could see some of the fight draining out of her. If the security guard hadn’t been so keen on getting away from Seto, he probably would have noticed that she looked exhausted. Téa knew that she didn’t look much better. It felt like the experiment had been hours ago, but she knew it was barely a quarter past midnight.

 

“Look,” she said, running both of her hands through her hair. “I know this has been a very trying experience for you. Me too. I can’t exactly speak for him,” she nodded her head towards Atem, “but I think we could all use some rest. We can figure this out in the morning, can’t we?”

 

At once, Seto snapped back to attention, weariness forgotten. “I am NOT going to sleep with him in this room.”

 

“That’s okay.” Atem chipped in. “I’ll just fix the door and go in your office.”

 

She didn’t look too impressed. “That’s not going to happen either.”

 

“But you said that he can’t sleep here!”

 

“Well, he can’t be in there anyways! Even if the prototype is trashed, I don’t want him by the computer or any of the hard drives. He’s probably just waiting for us to drop our guard before he attacks us anyways.”

 

“You are just unreal. Like he’s going to attack you with the keyboard or something.” Looking like death warmed over or not, Seto still had enough energy to be a pain in the ass. Atem was pouting a bit now, a bit put off that his character was being questioned so aggressively. Téa had to think quickly. “How about I stay up with him a bit, and in a couple hours we’ll trade off so one of us can rest and the other can keep watch.”

 

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Seto had to gall the roll her eyes at her! “Like I can trust you alone with him. You’re still making cow eyes at him, you wouldn’t even put up a fight.”

 

“I have another idea.” Atem gently interrupted, carefully positioning himself so he was a bit of a barrier between the two sparring girls. “I can just be quiet and pop into one of the guest rooms. The guard has already finished checking the mansion, he probably won’t check the again.”

 

“….and if he does? Or anyone else?” Seto said, eyeing him like she didn’t quiet believe him.

 

“Then I’ll just,” he snapped his fingers, “make myself a little harder to see. It’s not that difficult.”

 

“That sounds pretty reasonable of you.” Téa said, smiling at him. He beamed at her in response. “Don’t you think so too?” Her tone was bright, but her eyes promised doom if Seto didn’t pull her head out of her ass.

 

Rich girl glowered some more, but the battle was already over. “If you try anything, you’re going to be in a world of regret.” It was a tough statement, but undermined by her defensive stance.

 

He raised a hand to his heart. “I would never do anything to hurt either of you. That is one thing you can always count on.”

 

But Seto just shook her head. “Whatever. So, how do you plan on getting out of here? The private family rooms and guest rooms don’t have cameras, but the main areas and the hallways do. Just going to snap your way out of that too?”

 

He smiled at her, cocking his head a bit like she had said something especially tender. “As a matter of fact...” One hand up, and SNAP.

 

He was gone.

 

Téa felt her heart jump a bit, and she looked around herself. He was gone. Seto stared at where he had been standing for a few moments longer, arms still wrapped around herself. There was a bitter look on her face.

 

It seemed almost childish.

 

“Did you brush your teeth?”

 

Seto looked over at her, the look on her face replaced with one touched by confusion. “What does that-”

 

“Because,” Téa answered, “it we’re going to bed, you really should do that. Or I can first.” Téa moved past Seto, collecting the bag that Roland had retrieved for her. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste, and headed back into the bathroom. She hadn’t really checked before, but she was glad to see that Atem had managed to clean it up too with that snapping trick. One less problem to deal with.

 

Too bad there was still a big one in the bedroom.

 

Getting out, Téa saw Seto still standing there. It was like she didn’t know what to do.

 

“Hey.” Téa got behind her and nudged her a bit. Seto shook her off, but Téa just did it again. “Hurry up. We ain’t got all night.”

 

Reluctantly, Seto finally moved, skulking over to the bathroom as if it was a great burden on her. In the time it took for Seto to finish up in the bathroom, Téa was already settled comfortably in her bed.

 

Seto took one look at her. “Get out.”

 

“Nope.” Téa replied, snuggling closer under the blankets. “Figured you’re probably due for a couple more freak outs tonight, and it’ll be easier to keep an eye on you if I’m here.”

 

“There’s always the floor.”

 

“And you are certainly welcome to sleep on your own floor, though why you would when the bed is this big and comfy is a mystery to me.” Téa answered.

 

Seto still stood there, probably mentally debating how comfortable the bathtub would be if she lined it with enough towels. Annoyed, Téa took the spare pillow and flung it at her. It landed woefully several feet to the right of her target. Seto looked at it dumbly, then back at Téa.

 

“Why don’t you bring that back and just get in the bed?” Téa turned over on her side. “And turn off the lights while you’re at it? I’m too tired to get up.”

 

She wasn’t sure that she was going to get an answer, so she didn’t wait for one. Instead, she listened to Seto’s breathing, then the sound of her footsteps as she padded around the room. With a gentle ‘click’, the main lights in the room went out. A few footsteps later, the mattress dipped on the side.

 

“You really should sleep on the floor.”

 

“Not my fault you invited me to sleep here. Should have been better about your cover ups.”

 

More silence. If everything she thought was going on, she’d have thought that the last thing she would be doing was sleeping. However, technological breath through or not, she could feel exhaustion setting in.

 

Still…

 

“Can you really tell me that you’re not even slightly excited about what happened?”

 

Again, there was no answer, though she felt something moving on the mattress. Peeking over her shoulder, Téa could see Seto hunched under the covers, facing the bathroom and away from Téa.

 

Téa sighed.

 

‘ _What have we gotten ourselves into?’_

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Mokuba had told her before that she spent too much time in her own head.

 

He hadn’t meant it as an insult, but once his middle school social life began in earnest, he also began to notice that hers still had not. He loved spending time with her, he had said, but he couldn’t just be the only one. Couldn’t she try opening up to someone? Anyone?

 

In response, she had spent the next three days sulking, eventually accepting that his opinion had some merit to it. In response, she promised herself that she would make the effort to continue on as she had been doing, and just hide her discomfort with dealing with people better.

 

She certainly had more than enough time that night to think about what she’d done. Long after Téa’s breathing evened out as she feel asleep, Seto stayed awake. The door to her office, now repaired after having exploded on her, seemed to leer at her, almost as if mocking her.

 

In a guest bedroom not far from where she laid, she knew that that ‘ _Atem_ ’, if that was even his named, was lurking, perhaps sleeping, perhaps causing even more trouble.

 

At least Mokuba was away. He hadn’t had to be caught up in the whole mess.

 

Seto frowned at that thought. He hated thunderstorms with a passion, and while it wasn’t his first night away from home, she hoped that he was handling it well. In a blink of an eye, he had grown from the tiny boy who had once depended upon her for everything.

 

But that was in the past.

 

She drew the blanket a little closer around her shoulders.

 

Then again, had he been home, he would have hung around her on account of the storms, and Téa would probably never of gotten the chance to suggest the stupid experiment, so all of them would have been spared.

 

Ugh.

 

She wished that she had ended up on the other side of her bed, since her clock was there. Her limbs felt too heavy to move, and in the end it wouldn’t have mattered anyways: she wasn’t going to be able to go to sleep.

 

Not until she had a plan.

 

She went over several possible scenarios, throwing most of them out. Admitting to Noah what she had done was out of the question. After years of having to listen to him go on about how she wasn’t ready for the responsibilities or emotional strain to be a part of Kaiba Corp, having to ask him for help because she violated every policy of the company (not to mention throwing scientific ethics out the window) was not something she was eager to do.

 

Besides, she didn’t want to prove him right.

 

Even if maybe, sort of maybe, he kind of was.

 

_Didn’t matter!_

 

She could also go to the police about Atem, which would end in one of two ways: A) he was discovered to be a serial house breaker and would go to jail, or B) they actually did make him, and it would inevitably lead back to the first scenario with Noah and all of Kaiba Corp finding out what she did.

 

And what was she supposed to say about not alerting security when she first found him in the house?

 

Another busted plan.

 

She glared harder at the door.

 

She was loathe to think that Téa’s suggestion of a _‘wait and see’_ approach had some merit. She knew that she hadn’t hallucinated her room exploding, nor witnessing it rebuilt again. There was something about Atem that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it was more than anything she’d studied in or out of school.

 

Mind burning with frustration, and stomach roiling with guilt, it was a long night for Seto.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Téa had never been a morning person, and fancy mansion or not, she didn’t feel like getting up. She rolled over on her back, stretching her limbs as she tried to settle herself down to fall back asleep. Her right arm hit something surprisingly solid and warm. Cracking open her eyes, she turned to see what it was.

 

On her left, bloodshot eyes were staring right back at her.

 

“Fuck!” She almost fell out of behind, pushing herself to get as much distance as possible. Seto, meanwhile, was still laying there, watching her with vague disinterest.

 

“I was wondering when you were going to wake up.”

 

“Don’t do that.” Téa sputtered, getting off of the bed. She smoothed down her t shirt, letting her heart rate slow down again. She glanced at the clock; it was only 5:30 am.

 

“Why are you up now anyways, isn’t it a little early for you to be so creepy?”

 

It was way too early to be up, and she just wanted to go back to sleep, even if it meant she was sharing the bed with Seto, because….

 

...just why were they sharing a bed again?

 

“Hey, not to be rude or anything,” well, maybe a little rude, “but why did I sleep in here again? Did we watch a scary movie or something?” She looked around and found her bag with her clothes on the floor. It was still a little early to change, but her hair brush was still in there, and running her hand through her hair, it felt like she hadn’t brushed it properly before she went to sleep. Why hadn’t she?

 

She felt something nagging at the back of her mind, but brushed it aside.

 

Silence from the bed.

 

“Hello, you still awake over there? You look like crap, no offense. It’s cool if something scared you, there’s something for everyone. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you about what scares the guys-”

 

“Do you really not remember what happened last night?” Seto was eyeing her warily.

 

“Hm? What do you mean? Was there something?” Téa felt the nagging sensation getting stronger. Did Seto throw up again? “What do you-”

 

“Turn around.” Not cold nor rude, just spoken matter of factly. Seto was still lying on the bed, looking somewhere over Téa’s shoulder. Téa turned.

 

Atem was standing right behind her, smiling.

 

For the second time that morning she shrieked.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

The restaurant was bright and loud, the scent of cheap, greasy food seemingly embedded into everything. Seto felt like going to the bathroom to wash her face, but she wasn’t sure that the water there would be any cleaner. She was definitely looking forward to taking a shower that night, but judging how the day had been going, who knew how long that would be.

 

Across from her in the booth, Atem kept shoveling food into his mouth.

 

Seto grimaced.

 

After Téa had finally finished shrieking that morning (in no small part aided by Seto attempting to smother her with a pillow), she magically remembered all of the trauma from the night before. Unfortunately, she remembered with more joy and pleasure than Seto had probably felt in all of her life. It was disgusting.

 

Atem had shown up in her bedroom around 5, happily trying to chat and thoroughly ruining any chance Seto had of getting any sleep. He had at least gotten the hint that she was in no mood for dealing with him, and had sat politely in her office after she had gotten up to throw an old pair of sweatpants and a sweater at him so he would stop being so naked.

 

She was going to have that image of him burned into her mind, probably forever. She glanced up.

 

He was still inhaling his fries.

 

She sighed.

 

After a nice, muted yelling match between the two girls, they had agreed upon two points.

 

1) There was in fact something extremely abnormal about Atem.

 

2) They weren’t going to let anyone know about him.

 

Anyone had mainly focused on the police, Noah, or Kaiba Corp, but in the morning light, Atem’s face had started to become alarming familiar.

 

‘ _You just had to use Yugi’s hair, didn’t you? Goddammit.’_

 

‘ _Oh, shut up.’_

 

Seto let out a sigh. Well, at least the DNA scanner had worked. Mostly. It was good to know that Kaiba Corp had been headed in the right direction with the prototype. Maybe they’d have a successful model after she finished the first ten years of her first life sentence.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” For someone who ate like it was a fight, Atem was polite enough to swallow before asking his question. He gestured quite unnecessarily at the remaining large order of fries that he hadn’t even started yet. A quick shake of her head, and he went back to business.

 

‘ _Seriously? Isn’t he going to be sick?’_

 

Tired of watching him eat, she glanced around. Téa was busy delivering some food to another table. She had been adamant that she couldn’t miss work, which still seemed bizarrely stupid given the circumstances, but she hadn’t been willing to budge. A compromise of Seto and Atem tagging along with Téa to work had been met. Getting Atem out of the house had been one thing: after almost getting caught the night before, it turned out, he _could_ vanish and reappear at a distance away. The knowledge that she ‘ _might_ ’ be responsible for him had kept her from suggesting that he do that trick and disappear out of their lives.

 

However, getting Seto out of the house…

 

‘ _You want to go... where?’ Noah had all but choked on his orange juice, gaping at her as if he had lost all higher functions. As if things weren’t awkward enough._

 

‘ _I want to hang out with Téa this afternoon. Is that all right?’ It took a lot of effort not to grind her teeth with the last part. Téa, meanwhile, was standing next to her, trying to smile like normal and failing._

 

He had said _‘yes’,_ of course, with the dumbest look on his face like the girls were on a play date or something. He’d probably be telling Mokuba all about it when he got back on Sunday, so she’d have to think up a plan on that.

 

Speaking of plans…

 

“Do you even need to eat?” She asked, trying to keep her voice down. The restaurant was busy, and while it seemed unlikely that anyone was trying to listen in on them, she still felt anxious.

 

He took a sip from his drink, and then answered. “Not really. Or drink. But it’s fun! There are just so many things to taste and experience, it’s a joy to discover them, don’t you think?”

 

She shrugged. “I don’t really care. What about other things? Do you get tired? Do you need to sleep?” She was itching to write things down, but a paper trail would be incriminating.

 

He looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then shook his head. “Not that I know of. I just spent the night reading books and waiting for you two to wake up. I don’t think I can _feel_ tired.”

 

“Hmm.” Now that was interesting. He could expend energy without having to consume energy in the process. That would be fascinating if he ever actually stopped eating and proved it. Or maybe the reverse? An extreme amount of calories consumed in order to expend extreme amounts of energy? Was that even stable? There were a thousand things she wanted to ask, only held back because of her guilt and the sense that it wouldn’t be deemed polite.

 

Not that he seemed to mind.

 

“You know, you can ask me anything you want.” He smiled warmly. “That’s why I’m here.”

 

“Well, I have to admit that you being here isn’t exactly what I want. Certainly not what I expected.” She took a sip from her own drink. Some unsweetened ice tea to try and keep her nerves down.

 

He leaned a little closer. “What exactly is it that you want then?” She drew in a breath, but all he did was smile. “Maybe I can help.”

 

“That’s very nice and everything. You can start by staying on your side of the table.” He gave her a little salute as she checked her watch. “Téa will be on break in another ten minutes, we can talk outside and try to figure out what we’re going to do with you. You can’t stay at the mansion.”

 

He pouted. “But I like your home. Your big brother seems nice, and I’d love to meet the little one.”

 

“That’s not going to happen.” Seto replied. “It’d probably be best that Mokuba didn’t know about you, and if Noah found out you might end up in a lab pretty quick.”

 

“Aw, you really think so?”

 

“Yes, and fancy tricks or not, the less chance he has of seeing you, the better.” She looked over by Téa again, and caught the girl’s eye. She gave them a short little wave, which Atem returned.

 

“Well that’s a shame, maybe some other time. What about Téa’s house?”

 

Seto gave him a look. “I’m not the expert on them, but I can assure you that the thought of some strange man hanging around their underage daughter is not something they’d accept warmly.”

 

He looked a little down at that, but was soon digging into the rest of his fries. Seto debated ordering more food or just waiting until after Téa’s break. It wasn’t like she could just head back to the mansion without figuring out what to do with Atem. But just _what_ could they do?

 

A quick check in the morning had shown that while her computers were fine, the prototype was completely non-responsive. She was sure she could lie to Noah and tell him the storm fried it, but he’d probably just take it back to one of the development labs to be repaired and shelved someplace she’d never find for ages. If there were any secrets to be found, the machine had to be hiding them.

 

If only she could fix it again…

 

“The clothes are fine, right?”

 

He stopped eating, and looked down at himself. Seto had managed to sneak into the laundry room while Téa chatted with Noah about trivial crap, and had taken some of Noah’s clothes along with her. Atem was way too short to fit properly in his jeans, but a belt and rolled cuffs had solved well enough. He could fit in a pair of Seto’s shoes, which was fine, since those would’ve been a little harder to take without Noah noticing.

 

Sure, she was still on the hallway security footage taking his clothes into her room, but she figured that if he noticed he’d mark it down as some bizarre bonding ritual and not even ask about it. It sounded weird enough to be something Noah would think of.

 

“They’re fine, thank you again. I didn’t mind using yours, though. I felt like I was closer to you that way.”

 

She made a face. “You could have stopped at the first sentence, I don’t want to hear about that kind of stuff. And if you don’t mind,” she said, voice getting lower, “I’d appreciate it if you kept your clothes on around us. Especially me.”

 

“Oh,” he said, looking bit surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were that uncomfortable. Of course I will. Last night, I found a towel on the floor and just used that.”

 

“Well, couldn’t you just have, _made_ some? You fixed the room, didn’t you? Couldn’t you do that too?”

 

“Hm. Like this?” He snapped his fingers, and in an instant he had changed clothes. Now he was wearing one of Noah’s suits, except of being five inches too long, it felt him perfectly. Seto felt a vein pulse on her forehead.

 

“Change back now!” She hissed, looking around them. By the time she looked back, he had returned to his old outfit, looking apologetic.

 

“I wasn’t sure if I could do that.”

 

“Someone could have seen you! Don’t ever do something that careless again!” And in a busy restaurant no less! At least he looked properly sheepish about it.

 

“I just wanted to show you. I not sure yet about everything I can do.”

 

“Well, just be careful.” She said, tone softening. Okay, maybe busy public spaces were not the best choices to take a mystery man who didn’t even know the extent of his own abilities yet. “The last thing we need is someone to see you.”

 

“Who don’t you want to see you?”

 

Seto whipped her head around, almost spilling her drink. Atem just smiled and waved. “Hello!”

 

“Hi.” Ryou answered back, looking curiously between Seto and Atem. “Fancy meeting you here, Seto. How did your study group/slumber party go?”

 

“It went really well!” Atem answered, obvious to the look Seto sent him. From the corner of her eye, she could see Téa looking over at them, stuck with a customer and unable to help.

 

“Yeah, it went fine.” She replied hastily. “Totally fine. Why are you here, anyways? Shouldn’t you,” she racked her brain for an answer and found nothing, “...not?”

 

Ryou laughed. “Wow, you really don’t get out much. I was hungry and I slept in late. I usually come in whenever Téa’s working to say ‘ _hi_ ’. By the way, who’s your new friend?”

 

Dammit. She hadn’t distracted him well enough. “He’s, um, well you see, he’s-”

 

“Atem.” He said cheerfully, wiping his hands on a napkin and holding one out for Ryou. Ryou shook his hand gingerly, as if it was a foreign concept that he wasn’t quite comfortable with. “It’s really nice to meet you! You’re Seto’s friend, right?”

 

He released Ryou’s hand, who brought it back close to his chest as if he was afraid Atem would try to shake it again. “Yeah, that’s me. The one and only Ryou. We go to school together!”

 

“We do.” Seto concurred, as if that point was in doubt.

 

“Wow.” Atem seemed genuinely interested, much to Seto’s horror. “And are you Téa’s friend too?”

 

“Yeah.” Ryou said, looking more than a bit confused. Seto could see Téa trying to make her way over to them, desperately trying to dodge customers looking for service.

 

“That’s wonderful!” Atem said, clapping his hands together. “It’s great to be friends. Maybe we can be friends too!”

 

There was a muffled thump from under the table. Seto had misjudged the distance between them, along with how long her legs really were, and had managed to viciously kick the bottom of the booth Atem was sitting on. She did her best to look nonchalant even as Ryou raised an eyebrow at her. “Hey, is everything okay? I can leave you know-”

 

“But have you eaten yet? The food here is delicious. You should sit with us!” Another thump, that time quieter as Seto actually hit her mark and kicked Atem in the shin. Sadly, his face didn’t seem to register it.

 

“Oh, I don’t know, we were about to go, I have to go study with Téa some more, you know.”

 

“But she’s at work right now. Where you are.” Ryou said, slowly. The naturally paranoid gamer was getting more suspicious by the second.

 

“I meant when she’s on break. Which is soon.” Seto corrected.  


“Very soon!” Always so helpful, Atem was.

 

“Alright, I can take a hint, don’t worry.” Ryou said, hands raised up. “I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

 

“There’s nothing to interrupt.”

 

“Okay, I’m sure.” Ryou said. “Well, I’m going to get some food. I’ll see you later, Seto. It was really nice meeting you, Atem, right?”

 

“Right!” Atem said cheerfully. “Be sure to sit with us once you get your food!”

 

“You know, I’m sorry, this is kind of rude of me, but how did you meet Seto? I don’t remember you from school, but you look,” Ryou peered a little closer. “...really familiar. Do you go to our school?”

 

“No.” Atem shook his head. “I don’t. I’m Seto’s.”

 

Ryou waited politely, assuming Atem wasn’t finished yet. “….oh, I’m sorry, Seto’s what?”

 

“Seto’s!” Atem confirmed. “Téa’s too! It’s pretty great!”

 

Seto’s shoulders were tensed up, regretting not locking Atem in her closet like she had thought of doing before. Judging by Ryou’s expression, if he wasn’t confused before, he sure as hell was then.

 

“You’re Seto’s-”

 

“Cousin!” Téa announced, having finally made it over to their table. She was almost out of breath, hands planted on the table to keep herself up. “He’s Seto’s cousin!”

 

Seto gave her a murderous look, but Ryou still wasn’t convinced. “So he’s Seto’s cousin-”

 

“Yes!”

 

“-but he also said that he was Téa’s-”

 

“Friend!” Téa answered. “He’s my friend! Totally my friend! I met him yesterday at Seto’s house, since he’s her cousin. Isn’t that right Seto?”

 

Seto wanted to hide under the table. Or at least call her driver and get her the hell out of the restaurant. Still…

 

“Yes.” She said in her most unconvincing sounding voice, at least to her own ears. “He is my cousin. He is very much my cousin. He’s happy to meet you.”

 

“Huh.” Ryou said, looking at the three of them as if he was regretting having come to Burger World for lunch in the first place. “It’s nice to meet him too. I’m going to get some food now, if that’s alright with everyone?”

 

“Yes, of course.” Téa said, smiling as if her life depended on it. “Get a lot, I know you eat a lot.”

 

“And make sure you come sit with us, it’s so nice talking with you!”

 

Ryou walked off, giving them a confused wave as the two girls gave Atem death glares.

 

 

~~~~

 

“Cousin, really?” Seto hissed at Téa once the other girl sat down. Seto had wanted to go to one of the outside tables to talk, but since it was November the restaurant had closed that area down for the season. Now, she knew they only had a few precious minutes before Ryou came back and their cover story was blown to hell.

 

“Well, I’m sorry, I panicked. I didn’t think we’d run into someone so quickly.”

 

“Oh, it’s no big deal.” Seto snapped, keeping her voice down. “It’s just someone who’s known you for years who can probably tell when you’re lying, and oh by the way someone who’s friends with Yugi and is going to notice just who the hell Atem _really_ looks like. But no big deal!”

 

“Oh good.” Téa sneered. “I’d hate to think that you were being bitchy because there was an emergency. Apparently that’s just the way you are normally.”

 

“Did you want any fries, Téa?”

 

Both girls looked over at Atem, who had almost decimated his third large order of french fries. The two hamburgers and chicken sandwich had been finished off ages before.

 

“No, thank you.” Téa turned back to Seto. “We’ll figure it out, Ryou’s a nice guy, he won’t ask a lot of questions.”

 

“That’s funny, because that was just what he was doing, and I don’t think he’s too convinced.”

 

“Well, maybe if you weren’t freaking out so much, you suck at acting normal.”

 

“Hey you two, he’s coming back. Thought you should know.” Both girls sat up straight, trying to get their game faces on as Ryou came back. His tray was laden with two different burger sets. He sat down next to Seto, his smile a little forced.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hey!” Atem replied brightly, finishing off the last of his fries. Ryou’s lips quirked up a bit before settling back down. “So you’re Seto’s cousin? That’s nice.”

 

“Yup! I’m hers. And Téa’s-”

 

“Friend!” Téa added, letting out a nervous giggle. “And I, for one, think it’s really great that we can all hang out here like this, as friends. Don’t you think so Seto?”

 

Seto just shrugged. Ryou let out a yelp when Téa’s foot accidentally connected with his shin.

 

“Sorry, just stretching my legs. It’s so busy tonight.” She followed that up with more nervous giggles, that were going a long way to making Ryou even more suspicious.

 

“Don’t worry, you’ve done worse.” That earned him a glare, but Ryou started on one of his hamburgers and didn’t seem to care.

 

“Seto, Téa, aren’t either of you hungry? I’m sorry, I should have saved more fries for you.” Atem guiltily looked down on the wasteland that was once his food covered tray.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I hate eating the food here in the middle of my shift. It just feels weird.”

 

He nodded as if he understood, then went back to looking sad at his tray. Ryou had already demolished his first hamburger, and was working on the second. “Yeah, you guys should totally get some more food. It’s super weird sitting here eating with the three of you staring at me.”

 

“I’m not staring.” Seto countered. She was still nursing her tea, trying to make it last as long as possible. She didn’t feel like getting up again.

 

“It’s super weird sitting here eating with _two_ of you staring at me.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“No problem.”

 

They did make a good sight. Ryou packing his food away, a sad (and probably still hungry) Atem sitting next to Téa who was filled to the brim with nervous energy. All of it felt a touch surreal, and for the first time since lightning had struck the night before, Seto didn’t feel like panicking.

 

It would be short lived.

 

Out of nowhere, Téa perked up. She locked eyes with Seto, and she found herself wishing she could just make a run for it.

 

“Hey, you know, I _am_ hungry. Seto, come with me so we can get some food, okay? My treat.” Her smile was big and vapid, and Seto didn’t know what she was thinking of.

 

“I’m really not hungry.”

 

“But Seto, I insist. I really do. Let’s go.” She was on her feet, trying to edge towards the main counter of the restaurant while waiting for Seto to get up. Seto did no such thing.

 

“Come. On.” Reaching over Ryou, Téa grabbed her arm. “I know you’re really hungry, you told me all about it before, let’s go get some food.”

 

“Oh, don’t mind me, excuse me.” Ryou managed to slip out of the booth before he was flattened by Seto. She had to give Téa some credit: for being shorter, she certainly wasn’t weak in the upper body. She started dragging Seto towards the counter.

 

“We’ll be back, don’t go anywhere. Or do anything, okay? Okay.” She manhandled the taller girl into the line, her grip tight enough on her arm to bruise.

 

“Do you have to be such an ass about everything?” She hissed in her ear.

 

Seto tried pulling her arm free, but failed. They got closer to the front of the line. “What the hell are you even going on about? You’re the one freaking out.”

 

Téa huffed. “I have an idea, and I needed to talk to you in private, not that you made it any easier for me.”

 

“And this is private?” Now they were even closer to the front.

 

“Private enough.” Téa tugged on Seto’s arm to make her look down at her. “Atem can stay with Ryou. It’s perfect.”

 

The restaurant was pretty loud at that time of day, so obviously Seto didn’t hear her correctly. “I’m sorry, you said what?”

 

“Oh, it’s nice you can apologize. Ryou has his own apartment. Atem can stay with him. We don’t have to worry about hiding him anymore.”

 

“Welcome to Burger World, may I take your order please?” They were interrupted by the cashier. Téa looked at the menu quick, then leaned closer to Seto. “You have your wallet, right?”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Five minutes and $16 later, the girls were back at the booth. Not much had changed, besides Ryou finishing up his first order of fries. Atem waved happily at them as they sat down, Ryou standing up to let Seto back into her seat. Téa kept a small order of fries to herself, and everything else went to Atem, who was more than happy to keep digging in again. For someone who said they didn’t need to eat, he looked more than capable of bankrupting a small family for food.

 

Ryou looked almost impressed. “You eat almost as much as I do. Where do you put it?”

 

Atem stopped eating his latest burger to reply. “It’s funny you should ask, actually, I-”

 

“I have a question Ryou. Seto and I have a question. All of us have a question.” Téa interrupted.

 

“We do?” Téa laughed a little too loudly, patting Atem on the shoulder like he was a toddler saying something cute. “Of course we do! We’ve been talking about it, and now I think is the right time to ask.”

 

“Really.” Ryou looked between the three of them as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the question.

 

“Really really.” Téa nodded in confirmation. Seto took another sip of her tea, her drink almost gone. “Well, I should get to the point: Ryou, can Atem stay in your apartment for a couple of days?”

 

Seto wanted to groan. _‘Nice build up, Gardner.’_

 

“At my apartment?”

 

“Yes! It would be perfect! You live by yourself, right? Your dad’s still away?”

 

Ryou nodded slowly. “Yeah, he’s still on an excavation dig, he won’t be back for at least a month.”

 

“So that would be perfect then! Atem can stay with you, you two can have fun, and everything will be fine!” Only Téa seemed excited at her own proposal. Atem and Ryou just looked confused, and Seto wanted to hide under the table again.

 

“But he’s your cousin, Seto, right?” She nodded since she didn’t want to talk. “How come he has to stay with me? Couldn’t he stay with, you know, you?”

 

“That’s an excellent point!” Téa countered. “And Seto would be more than happy to explain it to you.”

 

Seto shot her a death glare, but it didn’t seem to affect the other girl at all. Aware that Ryou was looking at her, waiting for an answer, she racked her brain for a reply.

 

“Well, he’s my cousin. He was moving to Domino, and was supposed to live with my brothers and I, but...he got into a fight. With my older brother. He kicked him out, and now Atem doesn’t have anyplace to go.”

 

Ryou still had doubts. “That sucks, but is there really nowhere else? He can’t go to a hotel or something, not to be rude, Atem.”

 

“It’s fine.” Atem nodded, Téa’s grip on his shoulder probably finally registering as a hint that he should just be quiet and let the girls lie some more.

 

“He would, but, my older brother: he’s a total asshole. Since he’s a part of the Kaiba family, he just froze his accounts and kicked him out of the house. He’s always like that, overreacting and stuff.” She nodded, agreeing with herself. “He’s a total asshole.”

 

“Totally!” Téa added. “Like, I’ve never met an asshole like that before. When I was at Seto’s house, we stayed in her room mostly just to get away from him. It was the worst, I never want to see him again.”

 

Atem looked a little put out, as if he wasn’t so excited about the character assassination going on (well, Noah _was_ an asshole). But it didn’t matter, because judging by the look on Ryou’s face, he was finally starting to buy it.

 

“Wow, that’s tough shit. And, you know, I’m not the king of social interactions, and this is all still kind of weird, but OK. Atem, do you need to come over tonight?”

 

“The sooner the better.” Téa answered for him. She let go of Atem’s shoulder, and stage whispered to Ryou. “He’s really been upset about it all day. Seto’s brother even locked him out of the house, so he can’t get any of his clothes or anything. Atem’s been stress eating ever since, it’s terrible.”

 

Ryou nodded as if any of it made any sense. “Okay. Well, I just came out to get some food, so I was going to head back home after all of this anyways.”

 

Téa brought her hands to her heart. Seto was getting a little sick of her dramatics. “Really? You’re such a great guy Ryou, I’m so glad you can help like this.”

 

“Yes, thank you!” Atem added cheerfully after a slight nudge from Téa. The rest looked at Seto, still clutching her now empty drink.

 

She nodded at Ryou. “Yes. Thank you very much.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“Could you have been any more weird about that?” Ryou and Atem had left long before Téa’s shift ended, and Seto had been stuck with a fuming Téa ever since Atem had reluctantly waved goodbye to them. Once her shift was over, she directed all of that frustration at Seto. “At least act like you wanted the plan to work.”

 

“What plan?” She shot back. “You tell me some half baked story a minute before I’m suddenly supposed to have a believable backstory ready.”

 

“Well, you’re supposed to be smart. You’re useless outside of books.”

 

“Well you’re useless all the time anyways.” And to think, they had been getting along almost well on Friday. To think!

 

Téa shoved her hands into her jacket. It was getting chilly, with the afternoon sun setting behind them. Both girls just wanted to get home as soon as possible, even with the looming problem of what to do with Atem hanging over them. “Look, I know things are weird. I told Atem not to do anything funny around Ryou, and besides, Ryou’s already weird, so they should get along pretty well.”

 

“We shouldn’t have gotten him involved. It was one thing since we’re responsible for what happened-”

 

“Mainly you.” Seto ignored her.

“We shouldn’t put Ryou in a precarious position. We don’t even know if it’s safe to be around Atem yet!”

 

“Are you still hung up over that?”

 

“He could be radioactive for all we know!”

 

“Well, we’ll know a little more tomorrow. We promised to meet up at Ryou’s after I finish work, so we’ll see where we will go from there, okay? Is that alright with your dumb princess brain?” She reached up to poke Seto in the forehead, but she batted her hand away.

 

“We’ll meet up before that, I’ll have a driver pick you up so we can actually go over what to tell Ryou so he doesn’t just call the police on Atem. Got it?”

 

“Got it.”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That feeling you get when you realize that a character is introduced late in a fic and it dawns on you that the movie timeline really isn't going to apply here. :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that they've created Atem, Seto and Téa have to figure out what to do with him. They do their best to avoid Dr Frankenstein's example.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three can keep a secret if-just kidding, none of them can.

 

 

Téa had almost been late for dance practice that night, and Ms Valentine was not in the mood for any screw ups so close to the winter recital. She left exhausted, and fell asleep that night before her head even hit the pillow. She felt like she hadn’t of gotten a good night’s sleep in ages, and despite the chaos circling around her, she didn’t even dream.

 

She barely even said ‘ _good morning_ ’ to her parents before she was already out the door, on her way to work so the good people of Domino could get their daily fix of hamburgers and fries. All too soon, her shift was done and she found herself stuck in a car with Seto, yet again.

 

When did her life get so weird?

 

From the time she had gotten into the car until there were almost outside Ryou’s door.

 

“Just remember, don’t say anything stupid.” Seto hissed.

 

“Shut up and knock on the door.”

 

Ryou answered on the second knock. His usual carefree attitude was gone, and his hair was all askew. More than its usual tamed mess, it looked positively feral. “Hey guys, took you long enough, get in please.”

 

He all but pulled them in, shutting the door behind them with more force then necessary.

 

Stepping in, Téa could see Atem sitting on the couch. He was happily watching TV while shirtless, countless empty take out boxes scattered on the table in front of him. ‘ _Great_.’

 

“You know,” Ryou started with a nervous laugh, “he must be really stressed out because he eats. A lot. Like, for me a lot, and I’m always eating. And you know, I don’t mind, it’s my dad’s money, screw him, but hey.” He leaned in closer, pulling on the sleeves of Seto and Téa’s jackets. “I’m pretty sure I knew the contents of my kitchen yesterday. That’s not something I forget.”

 

“And this morning, I wake up to hot and hunky over there,” he jerked his thumb over at Atem, who was watching Sesame Street, much to his delight, “cooking in my kitchen.”

 

“Sorry, he just probably wanted to make you breakfast, to say ‘ _thank you’_ -”

 

“Really, Téa? Because making me toast would be saying ‘ _thank you_ ’. Cooking me me a three course meal using pots and pans I’m pretty sure that I don’t have, and ingredients that I know for a fact that I don’t have is just going to give me a mini heart attack.” He whirled on Seto. “You said that your brother froze his accounts. How did he have money to buy that stuff?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “And also, since you two bum rushed me last night I didn’t get the chance to ask: why the fuck does he look like Yugi?”

 

On the TV screen, Big Bird was going over the essentials of sharing. Too bad his life lesson wasn’t going to do Téa much good. “He doesn’t look like Yugi.” Seto lied barefacedly.

 

“Bullshit, he totally does. The hair, the, well, mostly the hair! He looks like a buffer, hotter Yugi who just wants to sit around and pet kittens all day! No way can he be related to a freak like you!”

 

“Ouch, Ryou.” Téa replied.

 

“And I mean that in the nicest way, but no way. No freaking way. Why are you two lying to me? Just tell me before he drives me crazy!”

 

Seto and Téa exchanged looks. Okay, maybe they had been a little ambitious in hoping that Atem wouldn’t do anything particularly weird while they were gone. She tried to think of something that Ryou would believe. He was supposed to be the one willing to believe in weird stuff anyways! Why did he have to pick then to actually pay attention to stuff?

 

“Well,” Seto started, looking even more uncomfortable than usual, “there’s a perfectly good explanation for that.”

 

“Well, then tell me! Do you think I-”

 

“Seto, wait.” Téa started. “Maybe we should-”

 

“Maybe you guy should what?”

 

They weren’t going to get anywhere if they tried to keep this up. Téa gave her a pleading look, and when Seto stony face didn’t budge she decided to make her move. It was Ryou after all.

 

“We made him in a lab.”

 

There was a beat with only the sound of Atem singing along to the TV in the background. Ryou gave her a close, considering look. “Say again?”

 

To her credit, it wasn’t like she expected him to take it easily. “No, we didn’t.”

 

“Oh, that’s good, for a moment I-”

 

“We made him in her office,” she jerked her thumb at a blanched Seto, “not a lab. He’s not human.”

 

Well, that was the truth. Next to her Seto’s face was still doing a fun color show, with red splotches battling out with the white. Téa found her attention drifting a bit, listening to the TV playing in the background as she wondered how her life could get so weird in a day.

 

She snapped back into reality to find Ryou shaking her head with his hands. “Hey, back to Earth, what the hell do you two mean by that you _made_ him?”

 

No, she wanted to go back to listening to Atem singing. It seemed much less stressful than this.

 

“You know, I hate you quite a bit. Come on.” Téa found herself getting yanked to the couch by Seto, Ryou trailing after them like he wasn’t entirely sure who they were anymore. Atem had finally become aware that there was some drama going on in the household, and muted the TV. “Is everyone alright? Seto, would you like to sit down, you look kind of pale.”

 

“Atem, I have a favor to ask of you.” Seto asked. He smiled brightly at her. “Anything, Seto. What can I do to please you?”

 

Ryou snorted at that. Apparently, he wasn’t stressed out enough not to enjoy double entendres.

 

She tapped her foot for a moment, and then seemed to come to a decision. “Can you get me an apple?” He looked confused, and then started pushing himself up. Seto held up a hand. “You don’t have to get up. Please get me one.” She said, holding out her hand towards him.

 

He just shrugged and smiled. “Okay.”

 

There was no snapping of fingers, no convenient ‘ _poof_ ’ or ‘ _bang_ ’, but all the same, within an instant, there was a round, red apple in Seto’s hand. Téa felt her stomach lurch. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to seeing him do stuff like that. Seto’s face was still rather stony, but Atem seemed fairly pleased with himself.

 

“Huh.” Ryou took a step back, and let his back hit the wall behind him. His eyes were fixed upon the apple in Seto’s hand as he slid down the wall until he was sitting, processing what had just happened in front of him. Seto took a few steps towards him and held her hand out, offering the fruit to him.

 

With a remarkably steady hand, he took it, holding it between his hands like it held all of the secrets in the world, and that he didn’t particularly want to know any of them.

 

“Huh.”

 

It didn’t seem like Ryou was going to be saying anything else anytime soon. Seto yanked on Téa’s sleeve, half dragging into the hallway away from the others.

 

“I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

 

“Me?” Téa countered. “I didn’t show him some magic trip that fried his brain, that was on you.”

 

“Well you’re the one who told him in the first place! And last night! You just keep acting on your own without telling me, how is that working together?”

 

“You’re the one who almost pissed herself last night and tried hiding in the bathroom instead of doing anything!”

 

“Can you two stop yelling in my house?” Ryou said wearily.

 

“Yes, please, let’s not fight! If you wanted some fruit too, I’ll gladly make you some!”

 

“Thanks, but no thanks, Atem.” Téa said. She turned her attention back to Seto. “It’s just, look at us! We can’t handle this by ourselves. I thought I was going to have a heart attack last night from just one day. We can’t keep hiding him at your house.”

 

Seto huffed out an angry breath. “Of course he can’t. If Noah finds out what we did, if Noah finds him, who knows what could happen?”

 

“That’s what I mean.” She bit her lip. “Look, I’m not exactly the expert on these kinds of things, I’m kind of winging it as I go. Can you just unclench a bit and just stumble along with me trying to figure this out?”

 

She still had that huffy look around her, but Téa could tell that she didn’t have a better solution. “Fine, we’ll do it your way this time. But if we’re going to get someone else involved, can you at least get me a heads up before you blow our cover?”

 

“I’ll try.”

 

“Then let’s actually talk to the guy who’s apartment we’re commandeering.” Seto turned heel, heading back to the living room where Sesame Street played thoughtlessly over what was undoubtedly Ryou’s latest personal crisis. Téa followed after her.

 

Ryou was now sitting on the couch next to Atem, who had a sympathetic arm around his shoulders. Despite, or because of, his shock, Ryou was still quietly eating. Téa looked closer. It wasn’t an apple.

 

“It’s nice to see your appetite is as healthy as ever.”

 

Ryou looked up from the donut he was eating, giving Téa a look. “My blood sugar was getting low. Fuck you, by the way.”

 

“There’s no need for that kind of language.” Atem admonished gently. Ryou gave him a slight grunt, and went back to eating his donut. Some of the jelly oozed out, sticking to his fingers. Téa racked her mind thinking of how to re-approach the ‘Atem’ subject.

 

“So. Yeah. Atem’s pretty special. Would you mind helping us out a bit with him, Ryou?” Okay, so Téa wasn’t exactly giving her most convincing spiel, but she was doing her best given the circumstances. It wasn’t like Seto was doing any better. Ryou ignored her, finishing the last bits of the donut before licking his fingers. After a few moments, he raised his head, looking thoughtful.

 

“Do you think he could make a pizza?”

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

So perhaps the blunt approach wasn’t the best way to get Ryou on board for dealing with Atem.

 

Seto thought that maybe, just maybe, that after he’d seen the little magic trick, his face would have lit up and having proof of supernatural(?) events, would happily offer his assistance. His at times odd behavior from before gave some credence to that theory.

 

Instead, he asked for more food, and did end up agreeing to help, but from the accusing looks he kept giving to Téa and Seto to the staring he aimed at Atem, it seemed like Ryou was not as enthused about the whole situation as she would have hoped. Oh well.

 

They had moved their little meeting to the kitchen table, the TV mercifully turned off. Ryou was still giving Téa and Seto looks as he finished off his fourth slice of pizza. The slices that Atem had so helpfully offered to Téa and Seto sat untouched in front of them, as Atem ate his own.

 

“So let me get this straight,” Ryou started. “Seto has a super special magic machine that she keeps in her bedroom, and Friday’s storm made it overload and it made this guy. Is that about it?”

 

“It was in my office, not my bedroom.”

 

“That you don’t actually just sleep in your office is almost more surprising to me. But that’s what happened, and now you can’t let people find him because…?”

 

“She’s worried that her brother’s going to stick him in a lab and dissect him or something.” Téa added.

 

“Well, you two were going on about him being an asshole. Is he really going to?”

 

“He’s not really going to do anything if he doesn’t know Atem exists.” Seto said. “Besides, the machine shouldn’t have been operational with the blocks in place. It never got past trials, there was no way in predicting it could actually do this.”

 

Ryou groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “You couldn’t just be an evil genius. You had to be a screw up genius instead. Thanks, Seto.” Pouting, he looked up. “Wait, so this machine just spits out hot guys? It that what Kaiba Corp is making these days? Are they looking to flood the idol market or something?”

 

Seto shifted in her seat. “No. That’s not it.”

 

Ryou gave her a considering look, before a waved seemed to pass over his face. His eyes widened. “Ew, gross, is it some kind of sex doll thing? That’s marginally less pleasant than the idol thing!”

 

“Ryou, just shut up.” Téa snapped. “It’s not like that at all. We just, come on Seto, tell him!”

 

Seto gave her a blank look, not giving any support. “Whatever. Look, she had the machine, and we just thought-”

 

“ _We_? I wanted no part in it.”

 

“You’re such a tightass. Fine! I thought it would be fun if we tried to make something. We were watching monster movies, and I got the idea about, you know.” She shrugged. “Make a guy, the perfect guy. It was just for fun, we weren’t trying to do anything weird.”

 

And they weren’t! Téa definitely wasn’t, and she pretty sure that Seto would break out into hives if a sexual thought even crossed her mind. She just wanted to have a little fun. There was nothing wrong with dreaming.

 

For a moment, Ryou looked thoughtful.

 

“So, you _did_ make him as a sex doll. Wow, that’s pretty gross. You’re the worst, Téa.”

 

“No, we totally didn’t make him as a sex doll, weren’t you listening?!”

 

“All I heard was _‘this is a guy who would make me wet let’s make him’_ and that sounds suspiciously like a sex doll. To think, I’ve had lunch with you!”

 

Téa’s hands flailed. “Seto, tell him he’s wrong!”

 

Seto frowned at her, then Ryou. “You’re wrong.”

 

“Fuck you, Seto.”

 

“Why would you, if you already have-”

 

Atem butted in as Téa lunged across the table at Ryou. “I can assure you, they had no such uncouth intentions towards my creation.” His eyes took on a dreamy look. “To seek to discover the unknown, to gaze upon the abyss of human limitation and press on regardless, that was their intention. It is truly something worthy to be immortalized in song.”

 

Ryou didn’t look convinced. “So you don’t want to have sex with them?”

 

Téa was going to strangle him once and for all when all of this was over.

 

Atem’s faced brightened up. “Oh, nothing would make me happier!”

 

Seto’s face got even more severe. “Don’t talk like that Atem. We know you don’t mean that.”

 

“But I do! Just gazing upon your faces makes me fill with warmth inside.”

 

“Yeah, that’s not really a priority right now. Just keep it in your pants, okay?” Téa said.

 

“And put on a shirt!”

 

Reluctantly, Atem slid out of his seat and retrieved his discarded shirt. It was screen printed with what looked like zombies on it. “You know, I’m surprised that my clothes fit him. I guess buying things in a size too large came in handy.”

 

“I don’t know if that’s only the case” Seto spoke. “He wore some of my brothers clothing yesterday. It didn’t fit until he made it fit. It seems like he has to be aware of it.”

 

Ryou looked mournfully at another slice of pizza before he decided against it. “This is still too freaking bizarre. To think, yesterday afternoon, I was just a simple boy looking to eat a burger. Now, I’m possibly complicit in a human cloning scandal and I still have a math test on Monday. Freaking un-real.”

 

“Well, you seem to be taking it pretty well.” Téa started on her slice of pizza, but Seto seemed resolved not to touch hers.

 

Ryou shrugged. “When the feds come and break my door down, I’m going to jump out the window and escape into the woods. I think if I put my mind to it, I could make it across the Canadian border. They’ll be too busy putting you two in jail to find me.”

 

“Well, I’m glad that you have it all planned out.” Seto said dryly.

 

“Well, to be honest, that’s my contingency plan for several different types of emergencies. You can never plan ahead too much.”

 

“But we still need to figure out what to do with him. Frankly, we don’t even know what the extent of his powers are, or what would happen if he pushed the limits of them.” Seto brought up. “For all we know, he’s pushing at the very edge of them. It’s dangerous to keep testing them blindly.”

 

“Do you think the apartment building will blow up if I ask him to make some buffalo wings?”

 

“Hate to admit it, but Seto’s right. I’d like nothing more than to have him keep ‘poofing’ stuff into existence-”

 

“Is he actually making stuff, or is he taking it from somewhere else? If I ask him for gold bars, are some magically going to be missing from Fort Knox? It’s be smarter to steal them from another government, maybe-”

 

“You know, I’m already looking at the possibility of several life sentences for an ethical breach like this, we don’t need to cause any more trouble than we already have.”

 

“How can you get more than one life sentence? How many lives do they think you have? Are they going to hunt down your reincarnation and sit their ass in jail? I’m curious.”

 

“Ryou, focus. If you’re a part of this group-”

 

“Téa, as memory serves, I didn’t volunteer for this group.”

 

She waved her hand at him. “Well, too bad. We’re all in this together.”

 

“Because that’s what friends do!” Atem added helpfully, finally fully clothed and back in his seat.

 

Ryou stuck his tongue out at her, and Seto felt a headache coming on.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It wasn’t that Seto was ungrateful.

 

Quite the contrary, Ryou, despite being lied to and having all of his food eaten, was remarkably willing to help. Atem still pouted at being left at Ryou’s home for yet another night, but he had been assuaged at the promise that they would let him go out so he wouldn’t become stir crazy.

 

Seto still didn’t like the thought of that, and it kept her up until the early hours of Monday morning.

 

Taking him to Burger World had been enough of a risk, and if anyone other than Ryou had run into them, they’d be cleaning up an even bigger mess. It wasn’t like Yugi or the rest of his friends would overlook his amended look-alike walking around. That the look-alike could sudden ‘magic’ things into existence and was always determined to take off his shirt certainly didn’t help.

 

Still, they had talked about it and with a 2-1 vote (Atem had recused himself since he didn’t want to take a side), they had agreed to take him out into the city. Seto had argued that the risk of being exposed was too great and that they were already on thin ice as it was. Téa had countered that it wouldn’t be fair to keep hiding him inside if he didn’t want to be there. Ryou’s position was that he was out of food and wasn’t sure how much magic pizza he could eat before it became a health risk.

 

Seto was still a bit cross at being outvoted, but she conceded the argument. Besides, she could tell by Atem’s face that he was longing to get out of Ryou’s apartment. Not that she could really blame him.

 

If she wasn’t having a vast hallucination and had actually helped create a humanoid life, where could she draw the boundary line of what he could and could not do? She was responsible for him, that went without saying, but to what extent did the boundary lay? It was her responsibility to provide for him, but she did not have to right to order him to do anything. She supposed that included things that were in his best interests, even if he didn’t agree with them.

 

Her thoughts wandered over to Noah, before she quickly shut off that train of thought. No, there was no comparing the two situations.

 

With an angry huff, she rolled over on her side, trying to make herself fall asleep on sheer will alone.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

“Good morning!”

 

Noah greeted his little sister between sips of coffee as she entered the kitchen Monday morning. It was half past five, and while he could have slept in a bit longer, he liked getting an early start to the day. There was nothing like watching the morning light slowly creep in and wake up the world. He wasn’t sure that he could say the same about Seto, since looked more haggard than usual. He knew that she usually never got a lot of sleep, but he decided not to point it out after she already leveled a glare to him.

 

As she made her way over to one of the fridges, he moved to pour some coffee for her as well. He knew better than offer her any cream or milk (his own border-lined on chocolate milk). She accepted it wordlessly after she put her bagel and yogurt on the counter. He smiled warmly at her.

 

“Are you ready for another exciting week?”

 

Used to being blown off by her, he was surprised when she seemed to start a bit from his words. Maybe she was more tired than he thought? But the moment passed and she just shrugged. He counted it as a victory since she was still there and hadn’t removed herself to her room yet.

 

“Well, at least everyone had fun this weekend. It was so nice having Téa over, I hope that she can come again soon.” He was mostly talking to himself at that point, but he didn’t really mind. It really was nice having her over. Mokuba bringing his friends over was one thing, since every week he was visiting a friend’s house or hosting them at the mansion, but Seto? Mandatory study session or not, her having any young people over was wonderful! They had even spent the night together in her room, who knew what kind of things they had chatted about?

 

And at least the first friend she had brought over hadn’t been a boy.

 

He frowned into his coffee at that thought. It was probably assuming a bit too much to think that, and he didn’t want to drive any blossoming chances at friendship she had away. He’d cross that bridge when it came to that.

 

“Why are you making faces in your coffee? It’s your own fault for putting in too much cream?” He looked over to see Seto giving him a disapproving look. He just shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, just too many thoughts in my head. I’m just glad that you had fun this weekend.”

 

Her nose scrunched up in the slightest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was like any other weekend.”

 

He couldn’t hold back a snort. “Really? First you have a sleepover on Friday, you go visit Téa at work on Saturday, and then the two of you are off hanging out together on Sunday? That is not exactly your normal schedule, Seto.”

 

“We were just studying. It’s not that big a deal.”

 

“You visit her at work to study? I wish that I had the two of you’s work ethnic when I was in university. I probably wouldn’t have frustrated my professors so much.”

 

“You’re still a slacker if you still have time to make up stories instead of heading out to work. There are people at the office already working, you know.”

 

While Noah didn’t exactly have the thickest skin, he couldn’t help but smile even more. He never got the chance to talk to Seto like this, one on one! Usually, Mokuba had to help facilitate them talking together, but there she was, picking on him like she was the older sibling. He liked it.

 

“I try my best. It’s easier when I have such good role models like you to show me how to stay focused.” Between sips, he barely caught her rolling her eyes at him as she ate her (cold, ick) bagel. She probably thought he wouldn’t notice, but he did.

 

“So, is Téa going to come over again soon? I know you two like studying at the office, but I don’t see how that would be fun for teenagers.”

 

He expected another shrug as she brushed off the question, but instead she took another bite from her bagel. She was frowning again, but she wasn’t looking at Noah for once. It seemed like she was thinking of something, and when she swallowed it seemed like she had made up her mind.

 

“Now that you mention it, I do plan on spending more time with Téa. Studying of course.”

 

Huh. That was interesting.

 

“Really? That’s great. I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

 

“I wasn’t talking about having fun.” She said with a huff. “We’re just going to be doing more things together, outside of the study times.” She looked away from him. “We’re going to be spending time together after school today.”

 

“Are you changing your study sessions?”

 

“No. We’re keeping those on the normal days. We’re just doing something today too.” She looked uncomfortable. “The rest of the week as well.”

 

“Getting ready for a big test? I’m sure she won’t have any problems as long as you’re helping her. Are you two going to the office again?” Since Seto wouldn’t have any problems keeping up with her academic work in the first place.

 

“We were actually planning on going to….the mall. We were just going to take a bus together instead of taking a driver.” She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh.”

 

‘ _... **oh**.’_

 

“It’s not a big deal.” She repeated, looking offended by his response. “Well, yeah, of course it’s not!” He looked down into his coffee, trying to hide his face. He struggled to keep his excitement down. “The mall’s a great place for fun things for young people doing fun things, that’s great. I hope you two have lots of fun.”

 

“This is why I don’t tell you things.” She muttered. She finished off the last of her yogurt and stalked out of the kitchen, coffee still in hand as she made her way back into the sanctuary of her room.

 

“Well, have fun today! I’ll see you later!” He didn’t get an answer back, not that he was expecting one. He could feel his left leg jiggling up and down, the nervous energy filling him up as he waited to hear her go back into her room. With Mokuba still snoozing in dreamland, the tell-tale click of a door closing could have only belonged to Seto. Waiting just a moment longer, pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and made his way outside as quickly as possible.

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

It was chilly outside, but he didn’t bother going back inside to get a jacket. He jogged over to the eastern wing of the house, just in case Seto had her window open and could overhear. Dialing quickly, he put the phone to his ear, willing someone to hurry up and answer.

 

A voice still smothered in sleep answered. “Mm, _hey_. Who, who’s this?”

 

A voice that most certainly was not Ishizu, but by the warmer voice, he knew who it was.

 

“Hey, good morning beautiful. Is Ishizu there?”

 

The voice groaned gently as the speaker struggled to think. “She’s in the bathroom, getting ready. Hey, Noah? Why are you calling so early?”

 

“Sorry, Mai. I thought she was going to answer, I knew she sleeps with her cell next to her.” He said apologetically to her.

 

“S’okay. Here she is.” Noah could hear a muffled _‘thank you’_ in the background. “Noah Kaiba, you better have a damn good reason to be calling me this early in the morning. What the hell is it?”

 

Well, it still wasn’t six yet, maybe it was a little early in the morning, but he couldn’t help himself! This was important!

 

“Hey, put me on speakerphone, I want Mai to listen too.”

 

“It’s obviously not an emergency because you’re beating around the bush, and _my wife_ needs to rest without some damn fool waking her up.”

 

“Hun, it’s okay.” Mai mumbled softly in the background, still not 100% awake. “I wanna hear, he sounds happy.”

 

Ishizu ‘humphed’ loudly, but caved in. “You have 30 seconds before I hang up, tell me what you want.”

 

Noah looked away, just double checking that neither sibling was around to hear him. It couldn’t hurt to be thorough. “Okay, you won’t believe what I’m going to tell you.”

 

“I can’t believe I haven’t hung up yet.”

 

“ _Babe_ , c’mon.”

 

“Aw, she called you ‘ _babe_ ’. I love you guys, you’re so cute.”

 

“You’re not going to love what I’m about to call you if you don’t hurry up.”

 

“Alright.” He took a deep breath. “Seto had a sleepover with the girl she had a fight with and now they’re hanging out every day and they’re going to the mall today not to study just to hang out and she’s embarrassed but I think she’s happy and I think she and this girl are really hitting it off, they’re hanging out every day and it looks like she has a friend and they do girl talk and do teenager stuff and I feel like it’s a movie and it’s awesome and I’m just so happy for her I could almost scream.”

 

He felt winded after he finished, but he had to get it out in one go or he was going to actually scream. No, he wouldn’t scream, Mokuba was definitely sleeping and if any birds were also sleeping that would be really rude. He was so full of energy, he did want to run around a bit, but he was worried that some of the staff monitoring the security cameras would get worried.

 

Instead, he patiently waited for his (only) friends to process the news, bouncing on the balls of his feet and hoping the magnitude of the event would sink in for them.

 

He heard Ishizu exhale loudly.

 

“Do you think I’m going to listen to you talk about your sister at, what, oh my, it’s not even six o’clock yet! You are so lucky that I can’t strangle you over the phone, I’m hanging up, I don’t want to hear anymore.”

 

“Aw, but I do.” Noah could hear what sounded like a fight for the phone, Mai finally awake as her wife keep muttering insults at Noah. “so she’s getting along with someone, from school?”

 

“Yup!”

 

“Unbelievable-”

 

“That’s really nice, I’m glad to hear about that. You’ll have to tell me more about it maybe when the sun’s up, it is early, kiddo.”

 

“Yeah, I know, but I was so excited! In the kitchen Seto just asked me if she could go to the mall with the girl today, it just happened!”

 

“Really? She asked?”

 

“Wellllll, she told me that she was going to the mall. But that she would want to go there at all, and to even tell me beforehand! And she was acting all shy about it too.”

 

Ishizu still didn’t seem impressed. “You don’t call us when Mokuba wipes his own-”

 

“What my the love of my life is saying is that, while this is undoubtedly-”

 

“Doubtedly!”

 

“-great news, you do seem awfully excited about this. It’s like you’re jumping around. What makes this so much more groundbreaking than the sleepover?”

 

Noah wrapped his free arm around himself. Okay, he definitely should have grabbed a jacket. “To be honest, Seto didn’t set up the sleepover. I kind of suggested it, and the other girl said ‘yes’. Of course, it’s awesome that she wanted to come, but I felt a bit like Seto was just taking it, you know?”

 

“I see.” Mai said. “What changed?”

 

“Well, it feels more like she’s actually _trying_ to hang out with the other girl. She usually likes staying at home, holing up in her room when she isn’t with Mokuba, but actually going out? They went to a fast food place on Saturday, and now they’re going to a _mall_ together? That’s like a whole different tier?”

 

“You are such a nerd. I’m not letting you visit my mom now.”

 

“Ishizu, be nice. He loves your mom.”

 

“Ishizu, everybody loves your mom, but can’t you see? They’re doing doing stuff together. They’re hanging out together. They’re having fun together. Fun!” Noah realized that he was getting a little too loud, and tried to keep it down. “I’ve never seen her like this with someone before.”

 

“Well, I always figured that she was going to be a late bloomer.” Mai said thoughtfully. “This is all probably new territory for her, of course she’d feel a little uncertain about things.”

 

“They slept together in the same room even though there was a guest room made up for the girl.” Noah added. “It’s like, they skipped getting to know each other and went from meeting each other to hating each other, and now….” He bit his lip. He had to slow down. Maybe, just maybe, ah, Ishizu always told him off for getting overexcited and jumping to conclusions. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m thinking about this too much?”

 

“ _Maybe_?” Sarcasm oozed from Ishizu’s voice.

 

“Like, I know that friendship doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye, and things were rocky in the beginning.” He felt himself deflating a bit. The warm feelings he had all over were fading, and not just from the morning chill. “It’s just that she seems like she really wants to hang out with this girl, and I don’t know what to do to help her do that. I don’t want to get in the way.”

 

He let out a sigh. But he had felt so certain earlier!

 

“Gosh, stop thinking for a couple seconds, I can hear the gears whirring in your brain from here.” Ishizu said irritability. “You know that this is something that she’s going to figure out on her own, right?”

 

“I know.” He said, fighting to keep the whine out of his voice.

 

“Just try not to overthink things. You did that before when Mokuba first started inviting other kids home, remember? Back off a bit and see what happens. If she wants to pursue a friendship, she’ll obviously keep trying.”

 

“She’s right.” Mai said. “Try and big picture this. If she needs help, step in a bit, otherwise just let her try. It’s cute, her making a friend.”

 

“They are kind of cute together.” Noah said. “They’re starting to spend so much time together, and Seto was at her house too before! The girls parents seem to like her, and well...” He felt himself getting flustered. “I like that they like her, and I want that girl to like Seto, and, uh...” He wanted to backtrack a bit, he didn’t want to overstep.

 

Even though knowing that Téa’s parents like Seto and had welcomed her into their home made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

He heard Mai sigh over the phone.

 

“Noah, we’re lesbians, we get what you’re trying to say. Just let things happen naturally! A baby bird has to leave the nest sometime, and, you know.” She giggled playfully. “she might just find another one she likes too. Nothing wrong with that.”

 

“If you two are actually done, I’m going to need my phone back so I can actually go to work, unlike _some_ people.” Ishizu sounded like she was nearing the end of her rope.

 

“Okay, okay. Thanks to listening to me guys. Go have fun at work, Ishizu. And Mai? Stop getting beauty sleep, you’re already too beautiful, it’s getting out of control. The mayor’s calling the national guard.”

 

“Bye, Noah.” Mai said, ending the call as he could hear Ishizu going off again in the background.

 

He sighed happily. He didn’t know what he did to have good friends like that. Feeling better than he had in ages, he made his way back inside, humming happily as he got ready for another day at the office.

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

 

 

Seto was in even a fouler mood than usual after her little run in with Noah. She drew her coat around herself a little tighter, the morning November air not doing her any favors. She was waiting outside of the school near the bike rack, counting down the minutes before homeroom started. She had planned on meeting up with Ryou and Téa before classes just so they could touch base before that afternoon.

 

Meeting in homeroom wasn’t that great of an idea since Yugi and Téa’s other friends would be there, and they wouldn’t get a moment’s peace. Ryou was in a different homeroom anyways, and the less attention that they drew to themselves the better.

 

Finally, a familiar brunette came into view.

 

“Did you have to take your time? We don’t have that much longer until classes start.”

 

Téa shot her an annoyed look before locking up her bike. “You have a driver, shut up.”

 

“Well, at least you’re here.” Seto pulled up her sleeve to glance at her watch again. “Is Ryou going to make it time.”

 

Téa rolled her eyes, and adjusted her scarf. “Since he’s the one who actually had to babysit our prince charming, I don’t see why you’re complaining. He usually takes the bus. Speak of the devil...”

 

Huffing a bit, and bundled in an over-sized coat and scarf that obscured most of his face. “I fucking hate winter.”

 

“It’s not technically winter yet.”

 

“Why don’t you shove your technicalities up your-”

 

Téa snapped her fingers between the two. “Focus. We don’t have much time. We agreed, we’re taking At-”

 

“Don’t say his name so loud.” Seto hissed. “Try not to shout everything to the entire school.”

 

“Oh, really? You think there’s a warrant out for him or something? Newsflash: no one’s going to know who he is!” Téa fired back.

 

“Unless they see his face.”

 

“Do you see me showing his picture around? Huh?!”

 

“Should we call him ‘ _he who must not be named_ ’?” Ryou suggested.

 

“ _ **No**_.” Téa said firmly, collecting herself. “Sorry, I should have asked this first: was everything alright last night? Is he doing okay?”

 

“Yeah, he was fine. Once I realized I wasn’t hallucinating it wasn’t as jarring to see him do weird stuff. He seemed really bummed out that he couldn’t come here today, though. It was kind of sad.”

 

“That’s too bad. It’s too great of a risk for him to be here, either with him getting caught doing whatever the hell he can do, or someone noticing the resemblance he has to a certain someone.” She added the last part as she gave a dirty look to Téa.

 

“Get over it. Now back to our plan: we agreed, or at least we voted that we’re taking HIM out today. Everyone’s good after school, right?”

 

“I already told Noah I was going out.”

 

Ryou shrugged. “I asked my dad, but I doubt he’s going to read the email before New Years.”

 

“And my parents already agreed since I told them that Seto suggested it.” She ignored an annoyed look from the other girl. “So we finish class, take the bus and swing on over to Ryou’s, get At-HIM, don’t you start with me Seto, and we take him to the mall so he doesn’t go stir crazy and end up getting himself exposed.”

 

Ryou raised his hand. “What?” Téa asked.

 

“Uh, he still doesn’t like wearing clothes around the apartment. We’ll have to tell him to keep everything on when we go out. Especially on the bus, I don’t want my pass revoked.”

 

Téa sighed. “Just ask him to keep his clothes on when he’s at your apartment, he agreed to stop being naked at Seto’s after she whined about it.”

 

“Shut up, Gardner.”

 

“You shut up, Kaiba.”

 

“Oh. I don’t really mind. Just wanted to point that out.” Both girls gave him a look. “What? Oh, am I supposed to be blind or something? It’s a nice view.”

 

“Well, that’s great.” Seto said dryly. “If there’s anything else we need to talk about, now is the time. I don’t want to be late for class.”

 

“I don’t think you have to worry about having a perfect attendance record if you’ve already gotten a suspension.” Ryou said.

 

Seto glared. “So there is nothing else to talk about. Can we all go in now?”

 

Téa held out her hands. “By all means, princess, lead the way. If you froze, you’d be too heavy to carry back in anyways.”

 

“Téa, if I froze, would you carr-”

 

“No.”

 

“I bet At-ok, fine, I bet HE would, stop glaring at me!”

 

“Let’s go.” With that, Seto turned, making her way to the school’s entrance. Behind her, Téa rolled her eyes and made a face before following after her, Ryou and his too-large winter wear not far behind her.

 

Seto dreaded having to go through a full day of classes before having to deal with taking Atem out into an unsuspecting public. She felt a slight twist in her gut, an early heads up that she’d be having cramps soon. She let her breath in a tired huff.

 

What had she gotten herself into?

 

 

x - ~~~~~~ - x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story continues even though this fic does not. After I stop being burnt out from this event, I'll continue on in another piece. If the planets align right...

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to the song 'Weird Science' on endless repeat as I sewed my fingers to exhaustion making my Pokemon Go cosplay last year, and the story idea came into my head. Didn't even watch the movie until I was about 20k in, hope no one was looking for a faithful adaptation. :)


End file.
